NYC New Year's Eve ball will drop twice in 2026. Here's why
· Yahoo NewsIf you don't want to deal with Metro North and hundreds of thousands of revelers to see the ball drop in Manhattan this New Year's Eve, you'll have a second chance in warm summer weather.
For the first time ever, the venerable New Year’s Eve ball drop, a Times Square spectacle every year since 1907, will happen twice in a single year.
The Constellation Ball, the ninth and largest version of the New Year’s Eve sphere, will be lighted and sent up its 139-foot pole atop the One Times Square building on Tuesday, Dec. 30.
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Watch the test: How the ball drop fared.
Learn more: Quirky New Year's Eve drop traditions.
At 11:59 p.m. ET, the 12½-foot, 12,350-pound ball will make its 60-second descent to usher in the new year. But that’s not all.
At 12:04 a.m., the ball will be relighted in the red, white and blue design of “America250,″ a nonpartisan commemoration of the nation's 250th anniversary. On July Fourth, it will drop to mark the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
It’s the first time the ball will drop twice in one year.
“America250 will kick off the semiquincentennial year on New Year’s Eve in Times Square — the most watched celebration on the planet — signaling that the largest and most inspiring celebration and commemoration in our nation’s history is underway in 2026,” Rosie Rios, chair of America250, said in a statement.
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NYC's New Year's Eve ball: The Times Square ball will drop twice in 2026: Here's when and why
Where can I celebrate the New Year in the Lower Hudson Valley?
If you'd like to celebrate closer to home, the White Plains ball drop may be your best option.
The White Plains Business Improvement District said the viewing area for the White Plains New Year's celebration will open at 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 31, New Year's Eve, at Main Street and Mamaroneck Avenue.
Other gated access points include Main Street and Church Street, Court Street and Martine Avenue, Martine Avenue and Mamaroneck Avenue and Renaissance Square and Williams Street.
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Local band RockSteady will headline the event and fireworks will follow the ball drop at midnight. Admission is free for all who wish to attend.
For more information, visit the White Plains BID website.
Local New Year's Eve celebrations: 6 kid-friendly New Year’s Eve events in Westchester, Rockland
How New York City's New Year's Eve ball works
The balls have been redesigned periodically to incorporate new technology. Starting in 2009, the the ball was been permanently installed year-round on top of One Times Square. It serves as a landmark and tourist attraction in Manhattan.
The Constellation Ball contains 5,280 Waterford crystals and LED light pucks capable of producing more than 16 million colors.
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The ball is affixed to a 139-foot mast and lowered over the course of one minute using a powerful hydraulic winch installed at the base of the mast.
When did the New Year's Eve tradition start?
Times Square has celebrated New Year's Eve for 122 years, starting in 1904 with a fireworks display by the owners of The New York Times in the newspaper’s new headquarters.
When fireworks were restricted, organizers used lighted spheres for New Year's celebrations in Times Square. They were based on what are called chronographic spheres, or time balls, used by mariners in the 1800s to set ship clocks and navigation instruments.
The Times Square ball will be lit twice this year, but it was left dark twice during World War II. It was not lighted or dropped for New Year's Eve in 1942 and 1943 because of wartime blackout restrictions.
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CONTRIBUTING: USA TODAY's Saman Shafig and Amaris Encinas.
SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Reuters; america250.org; timessquareball.net
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NYC New Year's Eve ball will drop twice in 2026. Here's why