My fellow guides and I have each watched the ball drop in Times Square at least once and we all agree that it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Below I share first-hand information to make your night at the free Times Square New Year's Eve celebration on December 31, 2025, an incredible one!
I tell you where to go for the best views, when to arrive, and what to expect from the experience.
I also share four insider tips to plan your night along with other must-know information to get you through the night comfortably!
In this video, Katie, my fellow tour guide with Tours by Foot NYC, goes over some of the essential details in this post.
Now, let's get the party started!
- Where to Go for the Best Views
- Insider Tips
- Must-Know Information
- Other Things to Do on New Year's Eve in NYC
- History of the Ball Drop
- Christmas in NYC
WHERE TO WATCH THE BALL DROP
The ball is dropped from the top of 1 Times Square at 42nd Street just south of the intersection of Broadway and 7th Ave in Midtown Manhattan.
The area from which you can view the ball is fairly large.
The ball can be viewed along Broadway from 43rd Street to 50th Street.
You can also see the ball along 7th Avenue from 43rd to 59th Streets. The lower the street number you are on, the closer you are to the ball.
You can also get a so-so view of the ball from the northwest corner of Bryant Park, at 42nd Street and 6th Avenue.
The area is barricaded and you can only enter at designated entry points along 8th Ave., 7th Ave., Broadway, and 6th Ave. as shown in the map above.
It's really important to take note of the barricade locations.
My first time attending the ball drop, I thought I could walk down any street to get to Broadway. Well, that didn't turn out too well.
Know where to enter before you arrive in the area. The entry locations list is just below.
Designated entry locations:
- 6th Avenue - 38th, 49th, 52nd, 54th, 58th, 59th streets
- 7th Avenue - 37th, 57th streets
- 8th Avenue - 38th, 49th, 52nd, 55th, 58th, 59th streets
- Broadway - 37th, 57th streets
TIP 1 - Get there early.
The ball drops at midnight, of course, but there is a lot of good stuff leading up to the ball drop. Starting at 6 pm, there will be live performances and entertainment.
There is no set time to arrive, but if you want to get a prime viewing spot of the ball (see below), try to arrive by 3 pm or so.
Though the neighborhood will be crowded even before 3 pm, you might want to check out Times Square.
If you arrive later in the afternoon/early evening, I recommend you use one of the entry points on 6th Avenue rather than 8th Avenue or Broadway.
Entry points on 6th Avenue take you onto 7th Avenue which is straight and has a direct view of the ball.
If you enter the area from 8th Avenue or Broadway, your view will not be as good as Broadway is diagonal.
Also, if you are on 7th Avenue looking south (facing the ball), you may be able to see fireworks in Central Park if you face away from the ball.
TIP 2 - The best view is in the "Bowtie".
The best view is inside the area known as the "Bowtie" (where Broadway and 7th Avenue intersect). This area will fill up first.
The "prime" viewing area is between 42nd and 48th St where you can see the ball drop and also the huge video screens at 1 Times Square are easily visible.
Television screens are set up on the streets farther north, where you may not be able to see the ball directly.
You can gain access at 44th and 6th Ave. Note that this area fills up by early afternoon, so come early.
*For individuals with disabilities, there is an accessible designated viewing area at 44th Street and Broadway.
If you want to be close enough to see the live performances before the ball drops, you'll need to be near the stage at Broadway Plaza between 45th and 46th Streets.
I haven't ever felt the need to be near the stage since you can hear the music well and see the performers from a distance.
TIP 3 - Don't use the Times Square Subway Station.
At some point in the afternoon, the area will be blocked off from 6th Ave. to 8th Ave.
Check the official Times Square website or follow the Times Square Twitter feed for information on street closures.
These street closures mean that some subway stations in the area will be closed, even to exit. Check which stations will be closed.
You'll have to go to a nearby subway station that is north or south of Times Square.
These stations are good:
- Rockefeller Center Station (B, D, F, and M trains)
- Grand Central Station (4, 5 and 6 trains)
- Penn Station Station (A, C, and E)
TIP 4 - Don't panic if you can't get into the viewing area.
If you get there so late that you can't get into the viewing area, don't panic.
There are restaurants and bars in the area that will be showing the countdown on TV.
If you don't think you'll make it on time, you can choose one of these other things to do on New Year's Eve.
There are also these NYE parties in Times Square that have amazing views of the New Year's Eve ball.
There's an exclusive VIP party at St. Cloud, the rooftop bar at the Hotel Knickerbocker, which is a mere 150 feet below the Times Square ball!
The Renaissance New York Times Square Hotel has a formal New Year’s Eve Gala with panoramic views of the ball drop.
The New York Marriott Marquis throws a VIP party on the 8th floor of the hotel with fantastic views.
I confess I have never been to a VIP party. They are out of my price range. But if you have the cash to spare, go for it! I am sure they are incredible.
Other Must-Know Information
1. Dress warmly. I can't emphasize this enough! You'll be outside for several hours and temperatures in December are cold, and occasionally drop below freezing.
2. The area will be closed off at some point in the evening. This means that once you are in the official viewing area, you are there until midnight. There is no going back!
3. This is a biggie. There are NO PUBLIC OR PORTABLE RESTROOMS IN TIMES SQUARE! Restaurants will not let you in just to use their restroom. My suggestion? Don't drink anything beforehand.
4. Keep your bags zipped closed and your wallets and cash out of sight. Always be aware of your surroundings and keep an eye out for pickpockets.
5. Eat a filling meal beforehand and bring snacks, because once you find your perfect spot for the ball drop, you shouldn't leave as you risk not getting back into that same spot.
For suggestions on restaurants nearby, see our post about Times Square.
6. Drinking alcohol in public is not permitted in Times Square, though there will be people willing to break this law. But the police keep an eye out and will happily take away anyone's alcohol.
7. Large bags or backpacks are not allowed. All bags will be searched if you get there after the barricades are in place. There are loads of nearby affordable luggage/bag storage services.
8. The 2025 schedule has yet to be announced. The 2024 schedule was as follows and I imagine that this year will be the same, though the performers and hosts will be different.
Here's what you can expect:
- 6:00 pm to 6:03 pm - the ball is lit and raised to the top of 1 Times Square
- 6:04 pm to 6:05 pm - the event hosts talk with revelers in the street.
- 6:30 pm to 6:56 pm - the Times Square Alliance distributes tens of thousands of fun handouts to revelers like 2024 hats, eyeglasses, necklaces, and more.
- 6:57 pm to 11:46 pm - for nearly four hours and 45 minutes there will be live music and dance performances and entertainment from the event hosts. To see the long list of performers, check the official website.
- 11:51 pm to 11:58 pm - there is a special musical performance by a pretty well-known star.
- 11:59 pm - the ball drops 66.7 feet in sixty seconds! (This is when everyone counts down!)
- Midnight - the lights on the New Year’s Eve Ball are turned off as the numerals "2025" will burst to life shining high above Times Square.
- More than one ton of confetti will be released from the rooftops of buildings throughout Times Square.
- 12:15 am - the event ends and people begin to leave the area.
Don't let the party stop there! See our list of things to do in NYC at night including late-night fun.
HISTORY OF THE EVENT: WHY A BALL DROP?
The idea for dropping a huge ball at midnight to ring in the New Year grew out of the maritime practice of dropping a "time ball" from a high location at a set time so that captains of nearby ships could precisely set their chronometers.
Also, those on land who could see the time-ball drop could synchronize their watches.
Time balls have become popular all over the modern world.
In New York City, the Western Union installed a time ball in 1877 on its Manhattan headquarters in Lower Manhattan.
Every day at noon they would drop a ball from their roof and it could be seen all over Lower Manhattan and out in the harbor.
This allowed everyone to synchronize their watches and ship chronometers, thus allowing a standardized time for the city.
Dropping a ball to announce the time of a set hour was a common method used in cities around the world.
This is where the notion of dropping a ball to announce the arrival of the New Year originated.
But why in Times Square?
When the New York Times made their move from the Financial District up to 42nd St (and got the area renamed Times Square in their honor), they wanted to have a big celebration on New Year’s Eve to commemorate their move uptown.
This celebration took place in 1904.
Over 200,000 people gathered for the new celebration, which included a fireworks display, but no ball drop.
A few years later the Times could not get a permit for fireworks so the Times decided to use a time ball in the celebration, which would drop down a pole to count down the last minute to the New Year.
The paper publisher Adolph Ochs had a ball constructed of wood and iron, which was lit with 100 incandescent light bulbs.
Measuring 5 feet in diameter and weighing 700 pounds, the ball had to be hoisted onto the pole by a team of six men and rope.
The ball was set to complete an electric circuit when it touched the roof, which then lit a sign indicating the New Year and began the fireworks display.
The first ball drop was on December 31, 1907. There have been multiple balls used over the decades.
The different balls used over the years
Ball #1
This was a ball constructed of wood and iron, which was lit with 100 25-watt light bulbs.
It was 5 feet in diameter and weighed 700 pounds. The original ball was retired in 1920 and was replaced with Ball #2.
Ball #2
This was made out of iron and weighed less than the original - about 400 pounds.
Otherwise, it was essentially the same design as the original and was also 5 feet in diameter.
Ball #3
Ball #3 was introduced in 1955. It also used the original design, but this one was made of aluminum.
It was the lightest yet, at 150 pounds. This ball stayed in use for many years but had some revisions added.
In 1981, in honor of the “I Love NY” campaign, red light bulbs and a stem on top were added so that the ball had the appearance of an apple.
In 1991 the bulbs were red, white, and blue in honor of the troops in Operation Desert Shield.
In 1996, 180 halogen bulbs and 144 strobe lights were added, along with over 12,000 rhinestones, this glitzier drop was also the first to be entirely computerized.
The ball was retired after its 44th use in the 1999 celebration.
Ball #4 aka “The Millennium Ball”
The fourth ball was constructed in conjunction with Waterford Crystal.
It was 6 feet wide and weighed 1070 pounds. It used over 600 halogen bulbs, 96 strobe lights, spinning mirrors, and had 504 crystal panels.
The panel was inscribed with hopeful messages, such as “Hope for Unity” and “Hope for Courage.”
For the 2002 celebration, they were inscribed with names and countries affected by the 9/11 attacks.
Ball #5
In honor of the Centennial Ball Drop, a new ball was constructed for the 2008 celebration.
This ball was also made by Waterford Times Square Ball and was also 6 feet wide, but weighed in at 1,212 pounds.
The new ball included 9,576 LED lights that only consumed as much energy as 10 toasters.
Ball #6
First used in the 2009 celebration, the current ball is a larger version of its predecessor.
It is 12 feet wide, weighs 11,875 pounds, and has 2,688 Waterford panels.
It is lit by 32,256 LED lights. The other major change, aside from the size, is that this ball is weatherproof.
It can be seen atop One Times Square year-round.
To find out the latest changes, get the details of the New Year's Eve Ball here.
RELATED POSTS:
