New Years Eve

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? 1 for the road: New Times Square ball

Photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images There's a new ball in Times Square for New Year's Eve — the ninth and largest since the tradition started 118 years ago. The sphere is covered by 5,280 Waterford crystals and LED pucks, almost twice as many as its predecessor, and weighs over 12,300 pounds. Photo: Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images The iconic ball will be "a year-round destination where, for a price, ticket holders will be able to go up to a viewing deck to see it up close," the N.Y. Times reports. Tickets will start at around $45 per person. For $295 per person, a guest can take one of the ball's crystals home and write a New Year's Eve message on confetti. More facts.

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Photo: America250 ?? After falling to mark the new year, NYC's 2026 Times Square ball will rise in sparkling red, white and blue to kick off months of celebrations for the country's 250th anniversary. Go deeper.

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New Year's Eve

In the coming hours, countries around the world will ring in 2026 with dazzling fireworks and grand celebrations. US authorities have said they are taking extra precautions to ensure public safety at major events. In New York City, thousands of NYPD officers are deployed throughout Times Square ahead of the iconic ball drop, supported by helicopters and drones for comprehensive monitoring, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Tuesday. "New Year's Eve in Times Square is one of the largest and most complex public safety operations in the world, and one the NYPD has secured successfully for decades," Tisch added. Meanwhile, on the West Coast, California will usher in the New Year with more stormy weather just days after a destructive Christmas-week storm caused intense flooding and debris flows.

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Photos of New Year’s celebrations across the globe

People across the world celebrate the start of 2026, with New York’s iconic Times Square ball descending 18 hours after the South Pacific greeted the new year.

https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/new-year-eve-2026-celebration-photos-990cefb87073dc84d362839d810c2919?

[Kevin H]

I'm upset that when CNN was broadcasting, instead of showing the ball drop the cameras only focused on the crowed and the countdown clock and the very bottom of the drop; when the ball finally appeared it looked like a blinking light, not a ball drop. I tuned in to see the ball drop, but when it was dropping the ball was practically ignored.  I wish I could complain to them. 

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6 minutes ago, Kevin H said:

I'm upset that when CNN was broadcasting, instead of showing the ball drop the cameras only focused on the crowed and the countdown clock and the very bottom of the drop; when the ball finally appeared it looked like a blinking light, not a ball drop. I tuned in to see the ball drop, but when it was dropping the ball was practically ignored.  I wish I could complain to them. 

I thought the same! I went to sleep and it dawned on me, what happen to the ball coming down?? I think the two anchors and the cameramen were to drunk or something!! Oh well have a Happy New Year!!