Times Square New Year's Eve Ball
Each year, millions of eyes from all over the world are focused on the sparkling Waterford Crystal Times Square New Year's Eve Ball. At 11:59 p.m. the Ball begins its descent as millions of voices unite to countdown the final seconds of the year and celebrate the beginning of a new year full of hopes, challenges, changes and dreams.
Ball Fun Facts
The Ball is a geodesic sphere, 12 feet in diameter and weighs 11, 875 pounds. The Ball is covered with a total of 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles that vary in size and range in length from 4 3/4 in length to 5 3/4 inches per side. For Times Square 2021, 192 Waterford Crystal triangles introduce the new Gift of Happiness design represented by a sunburst of bright cuts radiating outward like a beautiful sunny day bringing warm smiles and happinesss. 192 are the Gift of Goodwill design of three pineapples signifying the traditional symbol of hospitality and goodwill.
192 are the Gift of Harmony design of small rosette cuts flowing into each other in beautiful harmony. 192 are the Gift of Serenity design of butterflies flying peacefully above a crystal meadow capturing the spirit of serenity. 192 are the Gift of Kindness design of a circle of rosettes symbolizing unity with the fronds reaching out in an expression of kindness. 192 are the Gift of Wonder design of a faceted starburst inspiring our sense of wonder. 192 are the Gift of Fortitude design of diamond cut on either side of a crystal pillar to represent the inner attributes of resolve, courage and spirit necessary to triumph over adversity. The remaining 1,344 triangles are the Gift of Imagination design of a series of intricate wedge cuts that are mirrored reflections of each other inspiring our imagination.
The 2,699 Waterford Crystal triangles are bolted to 672 LED modules which are attached to the aluminum frame of the Ball.
The Ball is illuminated by 332,256 LEDs. Each LED module contains 48 LEDs .. 12 red, 12 blue, 12 green and 12 white for a total of 8,064 of each color.
The Ball is capable of displaying a palette of more than 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns that creates a spectacular kaleidoscope effect atop One Times Square.
History of the New Year's Eve Ball
Revelers began celebrating New Year's Eve in Times Square as early as 1904, but it was in 1907 that the New Year's Eve Ball made its maiden descent from the flagpole atop One Times Square. Seven versions of the Ball have been designed to signal the New Year.
The first New Year's Eve Ball, made of iron and wood and adorned with one hundred 25-watt light bulbss, was 5 feet in diameter and weighed 700 pounds. It was built by a young immigrant metalworker named Jacob Starr and for most of the 20th century the company he founded, sign maker Artkraft Strauss was responsible for lowering the Ball.
The Ball has been lowered every year since 1907 with the exceptions of 1942 and 1943 when the ceremony was suspended due to the wartime "dimout" of lights in New York City. In 1920, a 400 pound Ball made entirely of wrought iron replaced the original. In 1955,the iron Ball was replaced with an aluminum Ball weighing a mere 150 pounds. The aluminum Ball remained unchanged until the 1980s when red light bulbs and the addition of a green stem converted the Ball into an apple for the "I Love New York"marketing campaign from 1981 until 1988. After seven years, the traditional glowing white Ball with white light bulbss and without the green tem returned to brightly light the sky above Times Square. In 1995, the Ball was upgraded with aluminum skin, rhinestones, strobes and computer controls, but the aluminum Ball was lowered for the last time in 1998.
For Times Square 2000, the millennium celebration at the Crossroads of the World, the New Year's Eve Ball was completely redesigned by Waterford Crystal and Philips Lighting. The crystal Ball combined the latest in lighting technology with the most traditional of materials reminding us of our past as we gazed into the future and the beginning of the new millennium.
In 2007, for the 100th anniversary of the Times Square Ball Drop tradition, Waterford Crystal and Philips Lighting crafted a spectacular new LED crystal Ball. The incandescent and halogen bulbs of the past century were replaced by state-of-the-art Philips Luxeon LED lighting technology that dramatically increased the brightness and color capabilities of the Ball.
Tom Brennan, Waterford Master Artisian
About "Time-Balls"
The actual notion of a ball "dropping" to signal the passage of time dates back long before New Year's Eve was ever celebrated in Times Square. The first "time-ball" was installed atop England's Royal Observatory in 1833. This ball would drop at one o'clock every afternoon allowing the captain of nearby ships to precisely set their vital navigational instrument called a chronometers. Around 150 public time-ball are believed to have been installed around the world after the success in England though few survive and still work. The tradition is carried on today in places like the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, DC where a time-ball descends from a flagpole at noon each day. And, of course, once a year in Times Square where it marks the stroke of midnight not for a few ships' captains, but for .. over a billion people watching worldwide!
The lowering of the Ball has become the world's symbolic welcome to the New Year!
The Big Times Square New Year's Eve Ball is now a year-round attraction sparkling above Times Square in full public view January through December!
Ring in 2021 from the comfort of your couch!
Happy New Year from the Chautauqua Lake Pops!
Be Safe.
Pat Locke, Maestro Muse
