From the hustle of the Port Authority Bus Terminal to the bustle of Seventh Avenue and 42nd Street, much of New York’s dazzling vibrancy and energy emanates from this area stretching from Times Square to Central Park South. Packed with theaters, tourist attractions and tall office buildings, the buzz and glow of the city are most obvious amid the huge neon signs, giant wraparound news tickers and Broadway marquees.
For Times Square New Years information, read below. For a list of Hotels at or near Times Square, click HERE.
Times Square New Year Info
5:00 p.m. If you want to be in the thick of the celebration, arrive early and dress appropriately! You should wear warm winter clothing, especially warm socks and a hat, and ideally carry with you a hot beverage in a thermos. Average temperatures for this event are typically 32°F or 0°C. Revelers start arriving late in the afternoon on New Year's Eve. By approximately 6:00 p.m., the Bow Tie of Times Square (42nd to 47th Sts. Between Broadway & 7th Ave.) is fully closed to traffic. Revelers are directed by the NYPD to gather in separate viewing sections. As one section fills up, the revelers are directed by police to the next viewing section. As the evening progresses, revelers continue to fill the Times Square neighborhood along Broadway and Seventh Avenue.
6:00 p.m. At approximately 6 pm, the raising and lighting the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball takes place. The lighting and raising of the New Year's Eve Ball traditionally kicks off the evening's events. The New Year's Eve Ball is lit by Con Edison and raised to its highest position on the flagpole at One Times Square, marking the official beginning of Times Square 2003. Music will continue throughout the evening marked by hourly countdoewns.
6:58 p.m. Hourly Video Countdown Begins! And don't worry, you will know when the New Year is close at hand. Two minutes of sound effects and music culminate in a 30-second video countdown on giant Panasonic Astrovision screens mark the end of each hour. The music and sound effects are heard using a wireless surround sound system specially engineered for the Times Square New Year's Eve celebration.
9:30 p.m The Times Square BID sanitation crews clad in bright red uniforms distribute tens of thousands of fun handouts to the assembled revelers for cheering in the New Year. The handouts include pom-poms, balloons. confetti Bags, single-use cameras, and American flags.
10:00 p.m. Beginning at 10:00 p.m., a live video feed of the celebration in Times Square is sent to broadcasters worldwide via fiber and via satellite at 11:15 p.m. This video feed will be carried by Crosswalks TV in Manhattan and Channel 74 on Time Warner Cable.
10:30 p.m. The Times Square wireless surround sound system begins running continuously to heighten the excitement of the rapidly approaching New Year.
11:59 p.m. At one minute to midnight, the Mayor and the Times Square 2003 Special Guest push the Waterford crystal button that signals the final sixty-second countdown prior to the Ball Lowering. The Countdown Stage is located at the center island on Broadway between 45th and 46th Streets.
The lighted Ball descends 77 feet in sixty seconds. The Ball is a geodesic sphere, six feet in diameter, weighing approximately 1,070 pounds. The Ball is covered with 504 Waterford crystal triangles, 696 multicolored Philips light bulbs, 96 high intensity strobe lights, and 90 rotating pyramid mirrors.
12:00 a.m. -- New Year's Day!! Marking the New Year at the stroke of Midnight, the light bulbs on the New Year's Eve Ball are turned off as the numerals of the New Year burst to life shining high above Times Square. The world-famous New Year's Eve confetti is released from rooftops of buildings throughout Times Square as the revelers celebrate the New Year.
For More Info Visitors to Times Square can receive transportation instructions and general information for this event by calling (212) 768-1560 or by visiting the Times Square Visitors Center located on Broadway between 46th and 47th Streets (open 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. daily).