Ringing in the New Year: New York Style

5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Happy New Year!

For as long as any of us can remember, the dropping of the ball in Times Square has been synonymous with ringing in the new year. The celebration is always bright and colorful and everywhere you look, there are tens of thousands of people out, all deliriously happy even though it’s freezing outside.

It’s just how they roll in New York, and they’ve been doing it for a long time. The first Times Square celebration goes all the way back to 1904 when Adolph Ochs, the owner of the New York Times, decided to throw a party to kick off the opening of his new headquarters. Not one to do things small, the celebration featured a fireworks show from the top of the building, and an estimated 200,000 people attended.

The world-famous ball didn’t actually ‘drop’ that night. For the event, Ochs constructed a sphere built from wood and iron and electrically lit with a hundred incandescent bulbs. A team of six men hoisted the 700 pound construction up to the top of the building, where on the stroke of midnight, it lit a giant sign welcoming in 1905.

The ball changed many times over the years until it reached its current incarnation, a 12 foot orb lit by over 32,000 LED lamps and weighing nearly six tons.  Designed to be weatherproof, the ball is permanently displayed at the original building located at One Times Square.

Whether you’re planning a big gala or just want to ring in 2017 with a few friends, have a great and safe New Year.