Christmas in New York City: New Year’s Eve

Finally, many Americans close out the holiday season by tuning into another New York City event: the large street party at Times Square on New Year’s Eve. The climax of the party comes at midnight, when a large, illuminated ball atop a pole standing on the roof of the former Times Building begins to drop. The fall lasts 60 seconds and marks the last minute of the old year and the exact beginning of the new year. This event has been broadcast on television since 1943. In recent years about half a million people have gathered in Times Square on New Year’s Eve to wait for the magic moment when the ball drops.