Skywriter FAQ: What You Are Actually Buying

Everything people ask before buying, answered plainly.

Is this the Burj Khalifa?

No. Skywriter is a parody. The tower on this site is an imaginary 828-metre building, generated live in your browser — there are no photographs of any real building anywhere on the site. It is shaped in a way that deliberately recalls a famous supertall, because that is the joke, but it is not that building. There is no affiliation, association, endorsement, sponsorship or connection of any kind with the Burj Khalifa, with Emaar Properties PJSC, or with the owner of any real tower.

Will my name appear on a real building?

No, and anyone charging you a two-figure sum and telling you otherwise is not being honest. Your message appears on the imaginary tower rendered on this website, and nowhere else. That is the whole product and it is stated on every page of the site for exactly this reason.

What do I actually get?

One calendar day — midnight to midnight, US Eastern time — of one of three things. A lit band across the tower's facade, with your name on it and nobody else's. Sponsorship of the light show, where your message runs vertically down the entire building during every show that day. Or one neighbourhood building, which carries your sign across its facade and again on its roof. Each is exclusive for the day you buy: once it is yours, nobody else can buy that slot for that date.

Why do the prices keep changing?

Because they are rolled at random, and that is the point of the site. Every slot on every day is priced at a whole-dollar amount between $10 and $100, generated fresh every single time the page loads. Refresh the calendar and every price changes. Find a number you like and it is held for you for twenty minutes while you decide, then for the length of checkout once you start paying. There is no premium tier, no surge pricing and no bidding — the spire on a Saturday can cost eleven dollars and the podium on a Tuesday can cost ninety.

Can I be outbid or lose my day?

No. There is no auction. Once your payment completes, that slot on that date is yours and it cannot be taken, outbid or resold. This is deliberate: an auction is exciting for the site and stressful for the buyer, and somebody marking an anniversary needs to know the day is theirs.

How often does the light show run?

Every fifteen minutes, around the clock — six minutes of show at the top of each quarter hour, ninety-six shows a day. If you have sponsored the light show for a day, your message runs down the facade during every one of them, from midnight to midnight.

How far ahead can I book?

Up to two years. Days in the past cannot be bought, for obvious reasons, and the calendar lets you jump to any month and year inside that window rather than scrolling.

What can I put on it?

A name, a company, a birthday wish, a proposal, congratulations, an anniversary, or anything else short. There is a forty-character limit because the text is rendered on a building and every extra character makes every letter smaller. You can add a short line underneath, a colour, and a link — bands and neighbourhood buildings are clickable, so a visitor who flies the camera to your sign can click straight through to your site.

What is not allowed?

Anything unlawful. Anything impersonating a real person, company or public body, or implying an endorsement that does not exist. Hateful, harassing, sexually explicit or violent content, or anything targeting a private individual. Links to malware, phishing or scams. We remove anything that breaks these rules.

How do payments work?

Through Stripe. Your card details never reach this site and we cannot see them. Prices are in US dollars. Your slot is held for thirty minutes while you complete checkout; if you do not finish, the hold is released and the day goes back on sale with a freshly rolled price.

Can I get a refund?

If your slot does not run because something on our side failed, yes, in full — write to [email protected]. If you change your mind before your day begins, write to us and we will do our best to sort it out. Once a day has been displayed, it has been delivered.

Do I need an account?

You need an email address, and that is all. There is no password: you type your address, we email you a link, and clicking it signs you in. The account exists so you can find your bookings again later.

Who runs this?

A small team who thought it would be funny and then built it properly. Anything at all — questions, complaints, refunds, takedown requests — goes to [email protected] and is read by a person.