USA Today discusses where to watch and stream the 2025 ball drop this New Year’s Eve, on TV and for free.
New Year’s festivities
New York City’s Times Square, one of the world’s most popular spots to ring in the new year, is ready for the celebrations. Rapper Pitbull unveiled the New Year’s Eve Ball for 2025 on Friday and installed the final crystals.
New Year’s festivities are set to be broadcast on a variety of TV networks, including CBS, CNN and ABC.
Final preparations for the event took place Monday as organizers conducted a test run by illuminating the ball and sending it up the 139-foot pole atop One Times Square. Earlier on Sunday, organizers released multicolored confetti from the Planet Fitness Center Stage in “preparation for the release of 3,000 pounds of confetti at midnight on New Year’s Eve,” Times Square said.
This year’s Waterford Crystal ball is a geodesic sphere covered with 2,688 crystal triangles and measuring 12 feet in diameter. It weighs 11,875 pounds and has more than 32,000 LED lights. The ball “is capable of displaying a palette of more than 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns that creates the spectacular kaleidoscope effect atop One Times Square,” Times Square said.
While AccuWeather meteorologists have predicted a rainy New Year’s Eve in New York, it’s not expected not to dampen any of the celebrations too much.
What is the New Year’s Eve ball drop?
On New Year’s Eve, a massive shimmering ball will be lowered at Times Square in New York City to kick off the new year.
Though the ball drop tradition at Times Square began in 1907, New Year’s Eve celebrations at the iconic venue were first held in 1904. Seven versions of the ball have been designed over the years. The first ball, measuring 5 feet in diameter and weighing 700 pounds, was made of iron and wood and was covered with 100 25-watt light bulbs. It was made by a young immigrant metalworker named Jacob Starr, according to the Times Square official website.
Did you subscribe to our daily Newsletter?
It’s Free Click here to Subscribe!
Source: USA Today
