Jamestown, the owner of the iconic One Times Square where
the New Year Ball Drop Celebration takes place, has created a high-tech experience
to allow people to herald the start of 2021 in a virtual world.
Michael Phillips, president of Jamestown, along with the
Times Square Alliance, launched the Virtual New Years’s Eve app that allows
worldwide virtual visits to Times Square before and during New Year’s Eve.
Phillips made the announcement during the arrival of the 2021 numerals, which will light up with the New Year as the ball drops from One Times Square. Michael Phillips announced the Jamestown virtual celebration as the 2021 numerals arrived in Times Square
What will Times Square look like on New Year’s Eve 2020?
Updated Dec 27, 2020;
Posted Dec 27, 2020
Times Square during the New Year s celebration on Jan. 1, 2020 in New York City.David Dee Delgado | Getty Images
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The New Year’s Eve Ball, which has gotten a make over, will drop at midnight on Dec. 31 in front of the smallest crowd ever in Times Square.
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the ball drop will be streamed live on TV and social media from 6 p.m. to midnight Dec. 31 with first responders, frontline and essential workers, and their families being honored as special guests.
Gift of Happiness Revealed as the 2021 Waterford Crystal Times Square New Year s Eve Ball Theme
Embrace Happiness in 2021
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NEW YORK, Dec. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ In an unprecedented and challenging year such as 2020, we find comfort in the enduring traditions that inspire hope and intentional moments. In that spirit and to mark the New Year, Waterford reveals the newest design in their Greatest Gifts series: Gift of Happiness. This marks the eighth year in the series of designs and themes for the Waterford Crystal Times Square New Year s Eve Ball; the series will continue until 2023. In keeping with past themes, the Gift of Happiness collection speaks to something we could all use a little more of particularly during this holiday season.
Whether you’re having a casual movie night in or popping champagne and confetti, no New Year’s Eve celebration is complete without watching the ball drop over Times Square at midnight. It’s been part of the festivities for as long as I can remember, but I’ve always wondered what the significance is of a giant ball dropping from the sky. As I plan this year’s at-home New Year’s Eve celebration, I decided to dig into the tradition. new years eve ball drop
Image zoom What Is the Significance of the Ball Dropping?
The tradition of using balls to tell time has been around for centuries, dating back to the early 1800s. The first documented time ball was on top of England s Royal Observatory at Greenwich, where it would drop at 1:00 p.m. each afternoon as a way to let nearby ships and boats know what time it was. This was before watches or cell phones, so the ball dropping was the primary way to tell time.
For the last 113 years, excited crowds have gathered in Times Square on New Year’s Eve to watch the ball drop at midnight, signaling the start of a new year. But for the first time in over a century, the New Year’s Eve event will be totally virtual this year due to COVID-19 safety precautions. But while there won’t be a crowd gathered in New York City this year, there
will still be a ball drop and you can tune in to watch it from anywhere in the world.
This year’s New Year’s Eve program begins at 6 p.m. EST on December 31 and will run through the ball drop at midnight. Hosted by Jonathan Bennett, the live (and commercial-free!) broadcast will include live musical performances by Gloria Gaynor and other not-yet-announced artists. According to the official Times Square Twitter account, the theme of this year’s New Year’s Eve celebration is Heroes of 2020. The program will honor first responders, frontline workers, essential workers, and their families.