The countdown to the new year is underway as revelers plan to say goodbye to 2024 at One Times Square, the highlight of New York’s New Year’s Eve celebration.
In these final hours before 2025, event organizers were busy Monday conducting their final tests of the iconic New Year’s Eve Ball drop and light displays in preparation for the festivities.
The annual tradition, which sees the glittering ball descend 139 feet from 11:59 p.m. to midnight, is both a symbolic moment and a logistical challenge for organizers to ensure a flawless celebration.
The event, put on by the Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment, included a range of preparations from making sure the ball is properly illuminated to checking logistical details for the hundreds of thousands who will gather in Times Square, and the billions more watching from around the globe.
Tom Harris, president of the Times Square Alliance, emphasized the importance of thorough preparation. Despite it being an annual tradition since 1907, Harris said it’s important for the team to constantly evolve to create memorable experiences for guests year after year.
“The biggest challenge is making sure we aren’t complacent. It’s so important not to think just because we do this year after year that we got this. That’s why we do the ball test,” he told amNewYork Metro. “We want to make sure it’s perfect for those hundreds of thousands of people who come to Times Square and the billions of people who watch worldwide.”
Sarah Beth Reno, senior vice president of guest operations for Carnival Cruise Lines, partners for this year’s celebration, fully embraced the spirit of the event, calling it one of the best nights for Americans everywhere.
“We feel like being here is celebrating what is truly quintessential America every year. In New York and even on our cruise ships, New Year’s Eve is the best night of the year. People love coming together no matter who they are, what their backgrounds are, or where they’re from,” Reno said. “We become one as a group of people and as a nation.”
This year’s festivities promise to be even more inclusive. They will feature entertainment for individuals in emergency lanes and a sensory truck activation for neurodivergent attendees. Festivities will open with a rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, marking a significant patriotic touch.
Other exciting changes include the ball’s aesthetic upgrade. With more than 16 million colors and billions of patterns, the ball’s stunning kaleidoscope lighting effects are made possible by 32,256 energy-efficient LEDs combined with 2,688 sparkling crystal triangles.
Jeffrey Straus, president of Countdown Entertainment, boasted of the ball’s new crystals designed to replicate the One Times Square building.
“It’s always a great moment for Times Square,” he told amNewYork Metro.
This year also marks the last time the current version of the ball will descend, as a new design is set to debut in 2025.
“Imagine at midnight, we all come together and count down those final seconds as this magic ball makes its descent. Then the sky fills with confetti, and we hear all those revelers cheering and having a good time,” Straus said, noting the essence of this cherished tradition.
The additional 3,000 pounds of confetti released at midnight will include wishes collected from individuals at the New Year’s Eve Wishing Wall in Times Square and via a virtual platform.
Event coordinators remind attendees that umbrellas, backpacks, and chairs are not permitted within the viewing areas to ensure safety and security.
Checkpoints and entrances will be set up at 49th, 52nd, and 56th streets on Sixth and Eighth avenues. All entrances will open at 3 p.m.
Viewers planning to celebrate at home, the Times Square Alliance will have a live feed from the Crossroads of the World from 6 p.m. to 12:15 a.m. ABC, among other networks, will broadcast the countdown.
