The ball is ready to drop, and New York City's Times Square is all set to welcome guests from far and wide for its New Year's Eve celebrations to bid 2025 goodbye and welcome the new year with aplomb.
The iconic venue is ready for the celebrations after organizers tested the new and updated Constellation Ball, described as the "centerpiece" of the annual countdown celebration and "a universal symbol of the New Year," at Times Square on Dec. 30. With 5,280 Waterford crystals and LED light pucks, the ball features nearly double the number of crystals as the previous ball, according to a One Times Square news release.
The ball drop tradition at Times Square began in 1907, though New Year’s Eve celebrations at the venue were first held in 1904.
"This proud tradition is now a universal symbol of the New Year," Times Square says on its website. About 3,000 pounds of confetti with people's wishes for the new year will also be dropped to celebrate the occasion.
While thousands gather to watch the massive shimmering ball make its 60-second descent down the flagpole and count down to the New Year at midnight, millions of others tune into the celebrations live from wherever they are.
