| Times Square Ball Drop | |
|---|---|
 | |
 The former ball atopOne Times Square in 2025 | |
| Genre | New Year's Eve event |
| Date | December 31 – January 1 |
| Begins | 18:00 |
| Ends | 00:30 (1907-present) |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Locations | Times Square,New York City |
| Inaugurated | 1907; 119 years ago (1907) |
| Founder | Adolph Ochs |
| Most recent | 2025-2026 |
| Next event | July 4, 2026 |
| Organized by | Times Square Alliance Countdown Entertainment |
| Website | timessquareball |
TheTimes Square Ball is atime ball located inNew York City'sTimes Square. Located on the roof ofOne Times Square, the ball is a prominent part of aNew Year's Eve celebration in Times Square commonly referred to asthe ball drop, where the ball descends down a specially designedflagpole, beginning at 23:59:00 ET, and resting at midnight to signal the start of the new year.
The event was first organized byAdolph Ochs, owner ofThe New York Times, replacing a series of New Year's Eve fireworks displays he held at the building to promote its status as the new headquarters of theTimes, while the ball itself was made by Jacob Starr of sign maker companyArtkraft Strauss. First held on December 31, 1907, to welcome 1908, the ball drop has been held annually since, except in 1942 and 1943 in observance ofwartime blackouts.
The ball has been updated seven times to reflect improvements in lighting technology: the original ball was 5 feet (1.5 m) in diameter, constructed from wood and iron, and illuminated with 100incandescent light bulbs. By contrast, the sixth iteration of the ball contained over 32,000LEDs, and the seventh iteration debuting for 2025–26 is 12.5 feet (3.8 m) in diameter. Since 1999–2000, the ball has featured an outer surface consisting of crystal panels manufactured byWaterford Crystal, which contain inscriptions and designs representing a yearly theme.
The ball itself has remained atop One Times Square nearly year-round since 2009; with a renovation of One Times Square slated to be completed in 2026, the ball will become publicly accessible as part of a new observation deck, and several previous iterations of the ball (including a recreation of the first ball) will be exhibited as part of a new museum.
The ball will also drop on the eve ofIndependence Day in July 2026 to mark the250th anniversary of theUnited States Declaration of Independence, marking the first time the ball is dropped outside of New Year's Eve.
The prevalence of the Times Square ball drop has inspiredsimilar "drops" at other local New Year's Eve events across the country; while some use balls, some instead drop objects that represent local culture or history.
To facilitate the arrival of attendees, Times Square is closed to traffic beginning in the late afternoon on New Year's Eve. The square is then divided into different viewing sections referred to as "pens", into which attendees are directed sequentially upon arrival.[1][2] Security is strictly enforced by theNew York City Police Department (NYPD), even more so since the 2001–02 edition in the wake of theSeptember 11 attacks. Attendees are required to pass throughsecurity checkpoints before they are assigned a pen and are prohibited from bringing backpacks or alcohol to the event.[2]
Security was increased further for its 2017–18 edition due to recent incidents such as thetruck attack in New York on October 31, and the2017 Las Vegas shooting; these included additional patrols of Times Square hotels, rooftop patrol squads and counter-snipers, and the installation of reflective markers on buildings to help officers identify the location of elevated shooters.[3] For 2018–19, the NYPD announced its intent to use a camera-equippedquadcopter to augment the over 1,200 fixed cameras monitoring Times Square, but it was left grounded due to inclement weather.[4]
Festivities formally begin in the early evening, with an opening ceremony featuring the raising of the ball backed byFanfare for the Common Man by TheNew York Philharmonic and a performance of thenational anthem since the 2024–25 edition of the event at 6:00 p.m.ET.[1]Party favours are distributed to attendees, which have historically included large balloons, hats, and other items branded with the event's corporate sponsors.[5][6]
The lead-up to midnight features a program of entertainment, including musical performances. Some of these performances are organized and televised byNew Year's Eve television specials broadcasting from Times Square, such asABC'sNew Year's Rockin' Eve —which first began featuring live headliners in 2005–06.[6][7][8][9][10]
The climax of the festivities is the drop itself, which begins at 11:59:00 p.m. ET.[1] Officially, the drop is activated from a control room within One Times Square, synchronized using anNational Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)time signal received via satellite; a ceremonial button is pressed on-stage by the currentmayor of New York City and/or invited special guests.[11][12]
At the conclusion of the drop, a numeral sign indicating the new year is illuminated, and a fireworks show is launched from the roof of One Times Square; the fireworks are presently backed by a medley of songs, which have traditionally included "Auld Lang Syne" as performed byGuy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians, and "Theme from New York, New York" as performed byFrank Sinatra, among others.[13]
At least 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg) ofconfetti are dropped in Times Square at midnight, overseen since 1992 by Treb Heining—a professionalballoon artist who has directed confetti and balloon drops at other major U.S. events such as thepresidential nominating conventions. It is thrown by a team of 100 volunteers (referred to internally by Heining as "confetti dispersal engineers") lining the rooftops of eight Times Square buildings. Treb developed the event's signature "blizzard" effect, using larger confetti pieces better-suited to the outdoor environment. Some of the pieces are inscribed with messages of hope for the new year, which are submitted via a "Wishing Wall" set up in Times Square in December (where visitors can write messages on them directly), and via online submissions.[14][15]
Since 1996, the drop has been ceremonially "activated" on-stage by one or more special guests, accompanied by the currentmayor of New York City, who are selected annually to recognize their community involvement or significance.[16]
Starting with the 2005–06 edition of the event, the drop has been directly preceded by the playing of "Imagine" byJohn Lennon at 11:55 p.m; since 2010–11, the song has been performed live by the headlining artist:[58]
Since the practice was established, attending and "activating" the ball drop has occasionally been the final act performed by an outgoing mayor of New York City, as the mayor-elect's term officially begins at midnight on January 1.Michael Bloomberg (2002) andEric Adams (2022) both held their inauguration ceremonies on-stage in Times Square following the event, taking theiroath of office and giving an inaugural address.[23][74] In 2014, the outgoing Bloomberg chose to spend New Year's Eve with his family and did not attend the event at all, whileBill de Blasio was sworn in the following morning atGracie Mansion instead.[37][38] In 2026, Adams participated in the event in his last act as mayor, but mayor-electZohran Mamdani held his inauguration in a separate event at the historicCity Hall subway station.[57][75]
After the conclusion of the festivities and the dispersal of attendees, cleanup is performed overnight to remove confetti and other debris from Times Square. When it is re-opened to the public the following morning, few traces of the previous night's celebration remain: following the 2013–14 event, theNew York City Department of Sanitation estimated that it had cleared over 50tons of trash from Times Square in eight hours, using 190 workers from their own crews and the Times Square Alliance.[76]
The first New Year's Eve celebration inTimes Square was held on December 31, 1904;The New York Times' owner,Adolph Ochs, decided to celebrate the opening of the newspaper's new headquarters,One Times Square, with a New Year'sfireworks show on the southern roof of the building to welcome 1905.[77] Close to 200,000 people attended the event, displacing traditional celebrations that had normally been held atTrinity Church.[78][79]
Due to safety concerns, the city banned the fireworks from being launched directly over the crowd.[80] Because of this, Ochs wanted a bigger spectacle at the building to draw more attention to the area.[81] The newspaper's chief electrician, Walter F. Palmer, suggested using atime ball, after seeing one used on theWestern Union Telegraph Building, near Trinity Church.[81]
Ochs hired a young Ukrainian metalworker named Jacob Starr (1858-1976)[82][83] of sign maker companyArtkraft Strauss Sign Design and Consulting, to construct a ball for the celebration[84][85]; it was built from iron and wood, illuminated by a hundredincandescent light bulbs, weighed 700 pounds (320 kg), and measured 5 feet (1.5 m) in diameter. The ball was hoisted on the building's seventy-foot flagpole with rope by a team of six men. The ball would begin to drop at ten seconds before midnight. Once it hit the roof, the ball completed acircuit that lit five-foot-tall signs on the sides of the building to signal the new year, accompanied by a fireworks display.[86]
The first ever "ball drop" was held on December 31, 1907, welcoming the year 1908; to promote the event, waiters of nearby hotels and restaurants woretop hats with battery powered lights spelling out "1908", which they turned on at midnight to match the "1908" signs on the tower.[78]
In 1913, only eight years after it moved to One Times Square, theTimes moved its corporate headquarters to229 West 43rd Street. TheTimes still maintained ownership of the tower, however, and Ochs continued to organize future editions of the drop.[87]
The original ball was replaced with a new design after the 1919–20 event; it shared the physical dimensions with the first ball, but was now constructed solely from iron—decreasing its weight to 400 pounds (180 kg).[88] The ball drop was placed on hiatus for New Year's Eve 1942–43 and 1943–44 due towartime lighting restrictions duringWorld War II.[88] Instead, amoment of silence was observed one minute before midnight in Times Square, followed by the sound of church bells being played fromsound trucks.[88]
The second ball was retired after the 1954–55 event, and replaced by a new, third ball for 1955–56; the new ball was 6 feet (1.8 m) in diameter, had 180 white incandescent bulbs, and took the form of a "cage" constructed from aluminum, further reducing its weight to 150 pounds (68 kg).[89][88]
It was not until 1979 that it became an established practice for the crowd in Times Square to count down the final seconds during the event—a practice that only became common in general on New Year's Eve television specials in the 1960s.[90]
The ball had different coloured bulbs, instead of the original white ones, for eight years to mark special commemorations. From 1981-82 to 1987-88, the ball was decorated to make it resemble an apple with red bulbs and a green "stem", alluding to New York's nickname, "the Big Apple" for the “I Love New York” marketing campaign.[78] Red, white, and blue bulbs replaced the white bulbs for 1990–91 to salute the troops ofOperation Desert Shield.[78]
For the 1987–88 event, organizers acknowledged the addition of aleap second earlier that day (leap seconds are appended at midnightUTC, which is five hours before midnight in New York) by extending the drop to 61 seconds, and including a very short light show with white strobe lights inside the ball, at 12:00:01 a.m.[91]
The third ball was updated again for the 1995–96 event, now decorated with over 12,000rhinestones, and adding a computerized lighting system with 180halogen bulbs and 144strobe lights.[88][92] Lighting designer Barry Arnold explained that "something had to be done to make this event more spectacular as we approach the millennium."[92]
The drop itself became computerized through the use of an electricwinch synchronized with theNational Institute of Standards and Technology'stime signal. The first drop with the new system was not without issues, however, as a glitch caused the ball to pause for a short moment halfway through its descent[93]; in 2021, Jeff Strauss toldThe Wall Street Journal that the drop has never had any technical issues since.[11] John Trowbridge was hired as the drop's new technical director in 1996.[11]
After its 44th use in 1999, the third ball was retired and placed on display at theAtlanta headquarters of Jamestown Group, owners of One Times Square.[78]
On December 28, 1998, during a press conference attended by New York City mayorRudy Giuliani, organizers announced that the third ball would be retired for the arrival of the new millennium, and replaced by a new design constructed byWaterford Crystal. The year 2000 celebrations introduced more prominent sponsorship to the event; companies such asDiscover Card,Korbel Champagne, andPanasonic were announced as official sponsors of the festivities in Times Square. The city also announced that actorRon Silver would lead a committee known as "NYC 2000", which was in charge of organizing events across the city for year 2000 celebrations.[94]
A 26-hour New Year’s Eve event at Times Square was organized to celebrate the arrival of the year 2000, with the first ball ascent at 6:57 am; highlights and festivities included concerts and hourly cultural presentations with parades of puppets designed byMichael Curry, representing countries entering the new year at that hour. Organizers expected a total attendance exceeding two million spectators.[95]
The fourth ball, measuring 6 feet (1.8 m) in diameter and weighing 1,070 pounds (490 kg), incorporated a total of over 600halogen bulbs, 504 triangle-shaped crystal panels provided by Waterford, 96 strobe lights, and spinning, pyramid-shaped mirrors. The ball was constructed at Waterford's factory inIreland, and was then shipped to New York City, where the lighting system and motorized mirrors were installed.[86] Many of the panels were inscribed with "Hope"-themed designs changing yearly, which included "Star of Hope", "Hope for Abundance", "Hope for Courage", "Hope for Unity", "Hope for Wisdom", "Hope for Fellowship", and "Hope for Peace".[1][96]
The 2001–02 celebrations were held in the aftermath of theSeptember 11 terrorist attacks; security was tightened in Times Square, with no fireworks were launched, The event's police presence being doubled to around 7,000 officers, some officers being equipped withmetal andradiation detectors, and police snipers stationed on rooftops.[97] The ball featured panels with the theme "Hope for Healing"; they were inscribed with the names of countries and emergency organizations that had takencasualties during the attacks, and the names of theWorld Trade Center,The Pentagon, and the four flights that were involved in the attacks.[98][96][1] Bells were rung across the city when the ball was raised at 6 p.m.[97]
New York Times writer David W. Chen described the festivities as having felt "more like a muted gathering to remember, respect and reflect", citing the security measures, the overall mood of New York residents and visitors (with some reconsidering their attendance of the event, and NYPD officers receiving more questions from tourists about how to get to theWorld Trade Center site than they did about the ball drop), as well as the cold weather. However, he observed that some had specifically attended the event as a display of patriotism and pride, and the crowdbooed whenever footage ofOsama bin Laden appeared in newscasts being simulcast on screens in Times Square.[97] Officials projected that the overall attendance was lower than that of the 2000–01 event.[97]
In December 2011, the "Hope for Healing" panels were accepted into the permanent collection of theNational September 11 Memorial & Museum.[98]
To mark the 100th anniversary of the first ball drop, a new fifth design debuted for the 2007–08 event. Once again manufactured by Waterford Crystal with 672 crystal panels, a diameter of 6 feet (1.8 m), and weighing 1,212 pounds (550 kg), it used 9,576LED lamps provided byPhilips (which can produce 16,777,216 or 224 colors), with computerized lighting patterns developed by the New York City-based firmFocus Lighting. Organizers stated that the new ball was also more energy-efficient, and consumed an equivalent amount of electricity to 10toasters.[99][100]
The fifth ball was only used once, and was placed on display at the Times Square Visitors Center afterward.[78][93][101] For 2008–09, a sixth ball was introduced: it is a larger version of the fifth ball, taking the form of anicosahedralgeodesic sphere with a diameter of 12 feet (3.7 m), and weight of 11,875 pounds (5,386 kg). It contains 2,688 panels, and is lit by 32,256 LED lamps. The new ball was designed to beweatherproof, as it would now be displayed atop One Times Square nearly year-round following the celebrations.[78][93][101]
Yearly themes for the ball's crystal panels continued; from 2008 to 2013, the ball contained crystal patterns that were part of a Waterford series known as "World of Celebration", which included "Let There Be Light," "Let There Be Joy," "Let There Be Courage," "Let There Be Love," "Let There Be Friendship," and "Let There Be Peace."
In 2014, all the panels were replaced with the "Gift of Imagination" crystals, marking the beginning of a new series called "Greatest Gifts." Every year through 2023, some of these crystals (often 192) were updated with new themes, such as "Gift of Fortitude," "Gift of Wonder," "Gift of Kindness," "Gift of Serenity," "Gift of Harmony," "Gift of Goodwill," "Gift of Happiness," "Gift of Wisdom," and "Gift of Love." All of these crystals were kept in place for the 2023–24 event.[40][63][101][102][103]
For a period during the 2010s, as part of the sponsorship of One Times Square's top-most billboard by Japanese electronics firmToshiba, a daytime countdown and ball drop was held as a media event at 10:00 a.m. ET to mark midnightJapan Standard Time (JST). The event—held hours prior to the closedown of Times Square for the event proper—was used to appeal toNew York City's Japanese community, usually attended by members of Japanese media outlets, and included appearances by representatives intraditional Japanese clothing.[104][105]
The numerical sign indicating the year (which remains atop the tower along with the ball itself) uses Philips LED lamps. The "14" digits for 2014 usedPhilips Hue multi-color LED lamps, allowing them to have computerized lighting cues.[106]
Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in New York City, the 2020–21 festivities were closed to the general public. Attendance was limited to the media, performers, and the invited families ofessential workers andfirst responders from the New York City area ("The Heroes of 2020").[107][108] In accordance with New York state health orders,face masks were mandatory, and households were placed within 8 foot (2.4 m) "pens" withsocial distancing.[109] Times Square Alliance president Tim Tompkins stated that "it feels most appropriate to shine a spotlight on the individuals who are tirelessly leading our nation through hard times with unshakable strength, determination and poise, as well as their families, who deal with their own set of sacrifices."[107][108]Gloria Gaynor was announced as a special musical guest for the event, where she performed her song "I Will Survive".[110][111] There was an estimated 80% reduction in NYPD presence at the event in comparison to past years.[112]
Virtual components were developed for the event under theVNYE banner, including a series ofstreamingesports tournaments being organized by Ultimate Gamer,[113] and aVNYE app withaugmented reality camera filters and a digital recreation of Times Square as avirtual world, minigames, and live streams of New Year's festivities in New York City and elsewhere.[114][115][116]
The automakerKia became a new sponsor of the festivities beginning that year for the 2020-21 event; as a marketing campaign for itsfourth-generation Sorento, Kia held a promotional tour in which the "2021" numerals were driven from Irvine, California (the location of Kia America's headquarters) to New York City using the SUV.[117][118][119]Mashable writer Alison Foreman described the "dystopian" scenes of the event acknowledged by viewers on social media, including the large amount of placements by fellow sponsorPlanet Fitness (with revellers wearing Planet Fitness-branded clothing and accessories such as hats, and Planet Fitness-brandedtube men also occupying the "pens").[120]
During a press briefing on November 15, 2021, MayorBill de Blasio implicated that there were plans for New Year's Eve 2021–22 to have public attendance as normal, albeit with safety protocols to be determined and announced to a later date. de Blasio promised "a large, wonderful celebration", with "some clear, smart rules to keep everyone safe".[121][122]
On November 16, Mayor de Blasio announced that the event would be held as normal with no restrictions on capacity, although with all attendees over the age of 5 required to presentproof of vaccination forCOVID-19 (or proof of a recent negativePCRtest from within the past 72 hours if covered under an exemption, provided they wear a face mask).[123] Despite a record number of cases in the city and state tied toOmicron variant (which notably led to the suspension of severalBroadway shows due to COVID-19 issues within casts and crew, and the reimplementation of a state mask mandate for indoor public spaces that do not require patrons to be vaccinated), de Blasio stated on December 16 that "if at any point we need to alter the plan, we will", but emphasized that this was an outdoor event with only vaccinated attendees.[124]
On December 20, de Blasio stated that a final decision regarding any changes to the event would be made by Christmas, explaining that "we have what we've done historically for years and years, we have the kind of model we used last year. We are looking at anything that will make this work best."[125] On December 22, de Blasio stated to CNN that the city was "looking to add additional measures to make it even safer";[126] the previous day,Foxowned-and-operated stationWNYW reported that organizers planned to mandate masks and cap the event's capacity, while the Fox network cancelled its plannedNew Year's Eve special from Times Square citing COVID-19 concerns.[127][128][129] These plans were confirmed on December 23, when it was announced that the maximum capacity would be reduced to 15,000 (from the approximately 58,000 present before), and that masks would also be mandatory for all attendees regardless of vaccination status.[130]
For the first time, the event's technical director John Trowbridge did not operate the drop in-person due to a COVID-19 infection, and instead directed the event quarantined at a hotel in New Jersey.[11]
The COVID-19 restrictions ended for the 2022–23 event, returning to a full capacity for the first time since the 2019–20 event.[131] A major renovation of One Times Square by Jamestown began in 2022, including the construction of a new observation deck, and the conversion of the tower's otherwise-disused floors into a Times Square museum and exhibition space. As part of the new attractions, the ball is expected to be lowered multiple times per-day, and year-round. The ball drop itself has not been disrupted by the ongoing construction, although the numerical sign was briefly removed in 2023 due to the part of the work.[132]
Ahead of the 2023–24 event, renovation was suspended in December 2023 to allow for preparations to begin (including the temporary removal of acrane), and staff worepersonal protective equipment while on the roof.[133][134]Fontainebleau Resorts served as a sponsor, promoting the 70th anniversary of itsnamesake hotel in Miami Beach, and its newly-openedFontainebleau Las Vegas resort; the lighting patterns on the ball featuredbow tie motifs, alluding to the use of bow ties as a logo and visual motif at the two hotels, and the bow tie shape of Times Square itself. That year's "Imagine" performer,Paul Anka, had also been known for his performances in Las Vegas.[135][136]
For the 2024–25 event, the outgoing Waterford crystal designs were entirely replaced with new patterns inspired by One Times Square and its then-upcoming wedding chapel Ever, which were manufactured by Gillinder Glass; as part of this process, guests were allowed to purchase the outgoing crystals and assist in installing the new panels—a test for an upcoming VIP experience that would be offered as part of the new attractions.[137] Organizers collaborated withBehaviour Interactive on "Times Square Island", aFortnite Creative world featuring minigames and a live stream of the ball drop.[138]
On December 27, 2024, it was announced that the sixth ball would be succeeded by a new, seventh ball beginning in 2025–26, as part of the renovation of One Times Square. Jamestown president Michael Phillips stated that the new ball would have a "completely different design", and would be "dynamic" and "more digitally interactive".[139] The sixth ball will be relocated to an exhibit in the new One Times Square museum. Earlier balls, including the third ball (which will be moved from the Jamestown Group headquarters), and a recreation of the first ball (which was constructed using salvaged scrap metal from the renovation),[140] will also be placed on display in the exhibit.[141][142] In July 2025, as part of a marketing campaign byNetflix for the filmHappy Gilmore 2, the outgoing ball was replaced by a giantCallawaygolf ball.[143]
Details regarding the seventh ball were first revealed in October 2025, with the new design—dubbed the "Constellation Ball"—officially unveiled on November 24, 2025, as part of theribbon-cutting for the new Times Square observation deck.[144] The seventh ball is its largest iteration to-date, with a diameter of 12.5 feet (3.8 m) and a weight of over 12,300 pounds (5,600 kg). It is covered in 5,280 circular Waterford Crystal panels in three different sizes, doubling the number of panels that were used on the sixth ball,[140][144] and its lighting system was upgraded to support audio-reactive effects.[145] The numeric signage was similarly upgraded with new multi-colored LED lighting.[146]
The crystals continue to feature annual themes, this time as part of Waterford's "Infinite Edition" series: the themes are in sets of three to correspond with the small, medium, and large panels respectively, with the initial themes being "Infinite Joy", "Infinite Light", and "Infinite Beginning". The crystals will be replaced over the course of the year via the "Premium Ball Experience" attraction, which will allow guests to remove and purchase one of the outgoing crystal panels from the ball to keep, and install one of next year's crystals. The crystal can be personalized with aMorse code message encoded in a light pattern; this feature is an homage to thetelegrams that were used by theTimes' newsroom when it originally occupied the building.[140][144][145] The 2026 themes will be "Infinite Life", "Infinite Liberty", and "Infinite Happiness".[145]
On December 26, 2025, organizers announced a collaboration with theUnited States Semiquincentennial Commission to launch commemorations for theUnited States Semiquincentennial during the event. A special segment occurred shortly after midnight, in which the ball was raised back up to showcase a new America250-themed lighting scheme, accompanied by a video presentation bySam Elliott set to "America the Beautiful" as performed byRay Charles, and an additional fireworks show and drop of red, white, and blue-colored confetti. This segment marked the first time that a second celebration occurred after midnight during the event. It was also announced that a special, one-off ball drop event would be organized on July 3, 2026, to mark midnight onIndependence Day: this will be the first time that the event will be organized for a holiday other than New Year's Eve.[147][148][149][146]
According toNational Weather Service records, since 1907–08, the average temperature in nearbyCentral Park during the ball drop has been 34 °F (1 °C). The warmest ball drops occurred in 1965–66 and 1972–73 when the temperature was 58 °F (14 °C). The coldest ball drop occurred in 1917–18, when the temperature was 1 °F (−17 °C) and thewind chill was −18 °F (−28 °C). Affected by acontinent-wide cold wave, the 2017–18 drop was the second-coldest on record, at 9 °F (−13 °C) and −4 °F (−20 °C) after wind chill. The third coldest ball drop occurred during the 1962–63 event, when the temperature was 11 °F (−12 °C) and the wind chill was −17 °F (−27 °C).[150][151] Snow has fallen seven times, with the earliest being the 1926–27 event, and the most recent being the 2009–10 event, and rain/drizzle has fallen seventeen times, with the earliest being the 1918–19 event, and the most recent being the 2022–23 event. The records for most precipitation and snow for the whole day on New Year’s Eve were both set in 1948, when 1.40 inches (36 mm) of precipitation and 4.0 inches (10 cm) of snow fell and the rainiest occurred during the 2018-19 event, when 1.02 inches of rain fell.[152]
As a public event, the festivities and ball drop are often broadcast on television. Since the mid-1990s, a hostpool feed has been provided to broadcasters for use in coverage, which for 2016–17 consisted of 21 cameras.[153] Since 2009–10, an officialwebcast of the ball drop and its associated festivities has been produced, streamed viaLivestream.com.[153][154][155] Since 2022–23, the webcast has been hosted by actors,Jonathan Bennett, Jeremy Hassel, and Bennett's husband Jaymes Vaughan.
The event is covered as part of New Year's Evetelevision specials on several major U.S. television networks, which usually intersperse on-location coverage from Times Square with entertainment segments, such as musical performances (some of which held live in Times Square as part of the event). By far the most notable of these isDick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve; created, produced, and originally hosted by the entertainerDick Clark until his death in 2012 (withRegis Philbin filling in for its 2004–05 broadcast), and currently hosted and executive produced byRyan Seacrest, the program first aired onNBC in 1972 before moving toABC, where it has been broadcast ever since.[156][157]New Year's Rockin' Eve has consistently been the most-watched New Year's Eve special in the U.S. annually, peaking at 25.6 million viewers for its 2017–18 edition.[158][156][159] Following the death of Dick Clark in April 2012, a crystal engraved with his name was added to the 2013 ball in tribute.[157]
As of 2022–23, with Fox having quietly discontinued New Year's specials,[160] and NBC having moved theirs from Times Square to Miami in 2021,[161]CBS is the only other major English-language broadcast network to also provide coverage from Times Square, having added segments co-hosted byWCBS-TV chief meteorologistLonnie Quinn toNew Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash beginning that year.[162]
Spanish-language networkUnivision broadcasts¡Feliz!, hosted byRaúl de Molina ofEl Gordo y La Flaca.[163][164] Oncable,CNN carries coverage of the festivities, known asNew Year's Eve Live, currently hosted byAnderson Cooper andAndy Cohen (the latter first replacingKathy Griffin for 2018).[165]Fox News carries theAll-American New Year Bash,[166][167] currently hosted by Jimmy Failla ofFox News Saturday Night.[168][169]
Beginning in the 1940s,NBC broadcast coverage from Times Square anchored byBen Grauer on both radio and television. Its coverage was later incorporated into special episodes ofThe Tonight Show, continuing throughJohnny Carson andJay Leno's tenures on the program. NBC would later introduce a dedicated special,New Year's Eve with Carson Daly (later renamedNBC's New Year's Eve), hosted by formerMTV personalityCarson Daly, which first began midnight coverage in 2006,[170] and was discontinued in 2022 in favor of theMiley Cyrus-helmedMiley’s New Year’s Eve Party, from Miami.[161]
From 1956 to 1976, CBS televisedGuy Lombardo's annual New Year's Eve concert with hisbig band The Royal Canadians, most frequently from theWaldorf-Astoria's ballroom. It featured coverage from Times Square, and the band's signature rendition of "Auld Lang Syne" at midnight.[13] After Lombardo's death in 1977, the special continued with Guy's younger brotherVictor Lombardo as host and bandleader, but increasing competition fromNew Year’s Rockin’ Eve prompted CBS to replace it for 1979–80 withHappy New Year, America. The new special ran in various formats with different hosts (such asPaul Anka,Donny Osmond,Andy Williams,Late Show with David Letterman bandleaderPaul Shaffer, and talk show hostMontel Williams) until it was discontinued after 1996. Besides coverage during a special episode ofLate Show for 1999, andAmerica's Millennium for 2000,[171][172][173][174] CBS would not air any national New Year's Eve specials again until 2021–22, when it premiered theNashville's Big Bash special.[175]
Beginning in 1991,Fox occasionally broadcast its New Year's specials from Times Square, with its most recent formats doing so having includedNew Year's Eve withSteve Harvey from 2017 to 2019,[176] andNew Year's Eve Toast & Roast in 2020, which was hosted byKen Jeong andJoel McHale from Los Angeles withKelly Osbourne reporting from Times Square.[177][178] Fox intended for the special to return for 2021–22, but it was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns in New York City.[179] The following year, Fox forewent any New Year's Eve programming on the main network.[160][166]
On December 31, 1999, in lieu ofNew Year's Rockin' Eve,ABC News covered the festivities as part of its day-long telecast,ABC 2000. Hosted by then-chief correspondentPeter Jennings, the broadcast featured coverage of New Year's festivities from around the world as part of aninternational consortium led by theBBC andWGBH-TV. Dick Clark joined the broadcast as special correspondent in Times Square during the 11 p.m. hour (eastern), and was on-hand to deliver his traditional countdown at midnight.[180] The BBC's2000 Today broadcast featured the comedy characterDame Edna Everage (Barry Humphries) as its Times Square correspondent.[181]
MTV had broadcastcoverage originating from the network's Times Square studios atOne Astor Plaza, which was initially hosted by Carson Daly until his departure to NBC.[182] For 2011, MTV also held its own ball drop inSeaside Heights, New Jersey, the setting of its popularreality seriesJersey Shore, featuring cast memberSnooki lowered inside a giant "hamster ball". Originally, MTV planned to hold the drop within its studio in Times Square, but the network was asked by city officials to conduct the drop elsewhere.[183] On October 2, 2017, the ball was "raised" byDJ Khaled, alongside its hosts, D.C. Young Fly and Tamara Dhia, for the reboot ofTotal Request Live.
For 2019, prominentvideo game streamerNinja hosted a 12-hour New Year's Eve stream onTwitch from Times Square, featuring matches ofFortnite Battle Royale with himself and special guests from a studio in theParamount Building. Ninja made an on-stage appearance in Times Square during the festivities outside, which included a failed attempt to lead the crowd in afloss dance (a routine made popular byFortnite).[184][185]
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