For the first time ever, New York’s historic New Year’s Eve Ball Drop, an annual spectacle in Times Square since 1907, will be held twice in one year.
The Constellation Ball, the ninth and largest version of the New Year’s Eve sphere, will be lit on Tuesday, Dec. 30, and sent to a 139-foot pole atop the building at One Times Square.
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At 11:59 p.m. ET, the 12 1/2-foot tall, 12,350-pound ball will descend in 60 seconds, ushering in the new year. But that’s not all.
At 12:04 a.m., the ball will be relit in the red, white and blue design of “America 250,” a bipartisan commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary, and will fall on July 4 to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
This is the first time that the ball has fallen twice in one year.
Where is the Constellation Ball?
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“America 250 will kick off its semi-quincentennial anniversary on New Year’s Eve in Times Square, the most watched celebration on earth, marking the year that the largest and most moving celebration and commemoration in our nation’s history is underway in 2026,” America 250 President Rosie Rios said in a statement.
New Year’s Eve Ball Mechanism
How did the Times Square Ball evolve?
Balls are regularly redesigned and new technology is incorporated. Since 2009, the ball has been a permanent fixture at the top of One Times Square year-round. It serves as a Manhattan landmark and tourist attraction.
When did New Year’s Eve traditions begin?
Times Square has celebrated the New Year for 122 years, ever since 1904, when The New York Times’ owners held a fireworks display at their new headquarters.
When fireworks were restricted, organizers used lighted spheres for New Year’s celebrations in Times Square. They are based on the so-called chronograph spheres, or time balls, used by sailors in the 1800s to set ships’ clocks and navigational instruments.
The Times Square Ball will be lit twice this year, but was left dark twice during World War II. Due to wartime blackout regulations, the lights were not turned on or off on New Year’s Eve in 1942 and 1943.
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SOURCE USA TODAY NETWORK REPORTS AND INVESTIGATIONS. Reuters; America250.org; Times Square Ball.net
