I hate being squeezed in the crowd. I have only been to a concert once in my life, and I don’t celebrate New Year’s eve. But somehow the idea of spending New Year’s Eve in Times Square stuck in my head. Perhaps it was from watching the ball drop or countdown in television. That year, the idea somehow provoked me. I wanted to have a nice New Year picture of NYC Landscape with the fireworks. I asked my friend if she wanted to spend New Year’s Eve in New York’s Times Square. She said Yes. So, off we went to New York.
We then begun the process of researching everything about New Year’s Eve in Times Square. We somehow survived standing 6 hours in that crowd and went home a SUPER HAPPY PERSON. I’m glad that i can share the experience of spending New Year in Time Square (with a twist) 😉.
Table of Contents
What is Ball Drop at New York’s City Time Square
Every new year, every places on earth celebrating it in its own way, usually involves lighting fireworks, firecrackers, countdown, musical event, and many more. In New York, one of the biggest City in the World, the festivities involved dropping illuminated Waterford Crystal Ball (12 feet in diameter) from a flagpole atop One Times Square (Broadway at 43rd Street).
This event was first initiated at 1907 by the owner of New York Times Newspaper, Adolph Ochs at the top of the building as it was the Headquarters of the newspaper at that time. Since 2009 the ball is displayed all year round on top of One Time Square building.
Where can I see the ball Drop?
The ball drop can be seen along the 7th avenue from 43rd street up to 59th street, and along Broadway Avenue from 43rd street to 50th street. If I remember it correctly, I entered the 7th avenue from 50th street, and then moved forward to 47th street. I could still see the time displayed at the building though. The closer you get to the 42nd street, the better the view and the louder you hear the performance from main stage.
At December 31, the NYC police will close down the access from 38th street and broadway and gradually moving north and the blocks will be closed up to 6th and 8th avenue as well. I came from 6th avenue as the police started moving the blocks to close the access, and it was around 14:30 pm in the afternoon. When the police start blocking, no vehicle can enter the street, and that’s when we can march along the 7th avenue or Broadway Avenue.
When should I get there?
At around 6 pm, the ball will be raised to the top of the pole, and at 11:59 PM the ball will be lowered for 60 seconds along with the countdown.
Me and my friend started walking towards 7th avenue at 43rd street around 2:30 pm, however, the barricade has been erected. We then walked back to 6th avenue and make a turn at 44th street, which also has been closed. So, we walked at the intersection of 6th ave and 48th street where the barricade still open and entered 7th avenue through that spot, along with hundreds of others. When we made it to 7th avenue-48 street, the road between 48th street to 47th street also has been barricaded. That was why we could not move forward and locked between 48th to 47th at 7th avenue.
After waited for about 20 minutes, the barricade was opened and we marched forward for about a block after passing the security screening. The intersection between 7th avenue and 47th street was where we stood for about 6 hours.
I read that you can come as early as 12 pm. However, if the police start barricading the road, revellers can also be moved. So, I think the best time is around 1pm to stand by at 42nd street.
How to get to the Time Square?
Me and my friend planned to have lunch at east 32nd street. So, we arrived early at the lunch place around 11 am by using subway. After lunch, we walked to 6th avenue-42nd street.
The subway line # 1, 2, 3, 7, A, B, C, D, E, F, M, N, Q, R, W, and S pass the Times Square area. During the weekend, certain trains do not operate. MTA has advised revellers not to use the 42nd Street Subway Station on New Year’s Eve due to the crowd. As an alternative, you can exit at nearby station and march towards time square walking.
Is there any Bathroom or restroom?
No, there is no Bathroom, we stood for about 6 hours from 3 pm to 9 pm without taking a pee. 🤭🤪
How should I dress?
Though we were squeezed among other thousands of people, i still felt unbelievably cold. It was THAT cold. Sadly, the only thing that is transferred between all reveller is surprisingly, the spirit, not the body heat. So, dress warmly. As night getting late, the temperature will also be dropping.
I remember checking my phone and it was about 1 degree celcius out there. We knew how cold it was going to be, we dressed warmly and comfortably, but still, it was freezing cold and i felt it for 6 hours!
Is the event free?
Yes, the event is free and anyone can participate. Please be careful with counterfeited advertisement or offer online at exorbitant price that selling passes to multiple venues/pay-one-price/all access pass throughout time square. For more information, you can read it here.
Is there any designated area for disable?
Yes. The designated viewing area is 44th Street and Broadway. You can gain access at 44th and 6th Ave. Please note, this area fills up quickly in the afternoon, so come early. (source:Timesquarenyc)
What should I bring while waiting for the ball drop?
Bringing food such as sandwich will help, though you probably want to drink after that. And, with the unavailability of restroom, you may want to consider not taking that much of water. We ate our big lunch well and we did not bring any meal. However, we saw pizza seller at the outer side of the barricade and some of the reveller bought it.
Who will be performing during the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration?
Every year, the performers are changing. This year with Covid-19 situation, the parties for New Year’s Eve 2021 are yet to be determined. More information will be available on its official website.
Is it worth the wait?
Well, i did not watch the ball dropped 🤷🏻♀️
“Wait, but you said you spent time New Year’s eve at Time Square?”
Yes, I did.
However, here’s the twist. The main reason i wanted to spend it on time square is to get a very nice picture of the ball drop with the fireworks and all. However, after we ended up at 47th street, I was convinced that our visibility would be much reduced and I wasn’t sure I can get a decent pic of the Ball Drop. Number two, right beside us were some guys that were smoking almost non-stop as the night got colder. I could tolerate it, but my friend could not. With those two reasons, we decided to got out of the crowd after 6 hours straight standing in the minus degree.
We then had a late dinner at some local bar nearby and we marched towards Brooklyn Height Promenade. I remember we arrived there at about 11 pm, and the place were just as crowded as Times Square. Revellers crowding the area facing the Liberty Statue. We waited there until the countdown. Every second was a torture, since it was much much colder there.
Exactly at 12 am, the fireworks erupted at the background with Liberty Island silhouette. The crowd was cheering and some sang celebration song. The fireworks show last for about 10 minutes. Although i was hoping it erupted closer, it was a pretty spectacular fireworks show nevertheless.
Although the idea of spending New Year in Times Square very far from what i had imagined, we made it so far to celebrate New Year at Times Square. We marched together with people from around the world (we met several people from Australia, Venezuela, and Ecuador), and the energy that erupted from the crowd definitely boost our energy as well. For the duration of 6 hours, i felt happy, cold, tired, and excited all at once. It had been such an exceptional celebration of New Year I had ever had in my entire life.
Do I want to redo it in the future? Definitely Yes! but not in TimeSquare. I would love to explore different angle and places in New York where i can shot New York’s landscape with the fireworks in the background. If you want to do it out of curiosity and experiencing joyous moments with people around the globe, then go for it. It’s worth standing for 9 hours. But make sure to start planning in advance, and make sure you are fit and well prepared for the event.
So, is it worth the wait? Definitely Yes!
