Times Square ready for New Year's Eve revelers
It all started in 1904, when revelers began heralding the new year in what would become known worldwide as Times Square. In 1907, a ball drop was added to the celebration. And 116 years later, tens of thousands are again expected to gather in the same area for 2023 to roll into 2024.
Just after 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, the ball will drop from atop One Times Square at Broadway and West 43rd Street, along with more than a ton of confetti to the tune of “Auld Lang Syne.”
The ball, a geodesic sphere, is 12 feet in diameter and weighs almost 12,000 pounds with over 2,600 crystal triangles. It's come a long way from the initial ball, made of iron and wood and weighing 700 pounds.
The iconic "2024" sign that will appear at the end of the countdown arrived last week in Times Square with 588 light bulbs. Each “2” contains 145 bulbs, the “0” has 164 bulbs and the “4” has 134.
This year’s ball drop marks the second year of a return to normality for the event. The worst year of the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 to 2021, saw a nearly deserted and largely reveler-free Times Square. For 2021 into 2022, pandemic rules meant mandatory face masks, proof of vaccination, social distancing and capacity limits.
While the Long Island Rail Road is on a weekend schedule for New Year’s Eve and Day, the agency is operating 12 extra westbound trains for those heading into the city for New Year’s Eve and 16 extra eastbound trains heading back to Long Island right after the ball drop.
The ball is set to be raised at 6 p.m. and lowered beginning at 11:59 p.m. for 60 seconds until 2024 makes its appearance, according to the Times Square Alliance, the area’s local business group.
Entrances to viewing areas open in the afternoon, and are filled in order of arrival. There are no public bathrooms, and those who leave a viewing area won’t be let back in. Admittance is free. There are access points at West 49th, 52nd and 56th streets, on Sixth and Eighth avenues.
Among the musical acts: Paul Anka, Flo Rida, Megan Thee Stallion, Jelly Roll, Sabrina Carpenter and Tyla.
Police will shutter West 38th to West 59th streets, between Seventh Avenue and Broadway, to vehicle traffic beginning at 11 a.m. Streets will be closed to pedestrians as the viewing areas fill up, starting south and heading north.
The weather is forecast to be partly cloudy and 35 degrees at night, with a high near 45 and mostly sunny on the last day of 2023.
The festivities will be aired live on TV and at TimesSquareNYC.org.
The city government has said that 1 million to 2 million revelers pack Times Square for New Year’s Eve. But in 2018, The Associated Press interviewed crowd-size experts who put the size at fewer than 100,000.
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