One of the most iconic New Years Eve celebrations must be the one in New York. About one million people come to Times Square to watch the Ball Drop at midnight. But what do you need to know before you go?
Watching the Ball Drop in Times Square on New Year’s Eve in New York City needs quite a bit of planning and preparation to avoid having to miss out on this free event. So in this post, I am sharing all you need to know to be well prepared:
PS: Are you planning a romantic getaway to New York City with your loved one? Check out these unforgettable things to do in New York City, especially for couples.
Best place to watch the Ball Drop
On the 31st of December, the whole Times Square area is fenced off with lots of police officers guarding every corner of the street, so it’s not easy to find your way around.
We asked a few police officers how we could get inside the fenced area to watch the Ball Drop, until one of them told us to go to the intersection of 7th Avenue and West 50th Street.Β
We had a good spot, but in hindsight we should have entered the fences at the intersection of 7th Avenue and West 48th StreetΒ to be closer to the stage and the Ball Drop. You’ll get there by walking down 8th Avenue and entering 48th Street from there.Β
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You can see the Ball just above the VW Volkswagen sign in the left picture. When facing the Ball, you can choose to enter the fenced area in the right, or another fenced area in the left.
We went for the fenced area in the right, but as you can see in the other picture, theΒ stage is on the left hand side.
If you do end up in the right hand area like we did, try to keep left as much as possible.Β The Ball Drop views are blocked by a building if you stay on the right hand side. We were lucky to get a space at the left hand fence, so we had good views of the Ball Drop.
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What time does it start
To make sure you have a spot inside the fenced area, you’ll have to be on 7th Avenue before 12 noon. It gets a bit confusing from there as no one really knew what time the fences would open – not even the police officers on duty. But rest assured that they will open, just be patient πΒ
Once inside the fenced area, you won’t be allowed to leave and come back in again. There’s no food, drinks or toilets inside the fenced area, so make sure you are well prepared for 12 hours without.Β
The official entertainment programme for the people watching the event on TV doesn’t start until 6 pm, but artists will do their rehearsals throughout the afternoon. So you’ll be entertained on and off from about 2 pm.
The Ball got raised and lit up around 6pm. Then the purple and yellow hats and balloons were handed out around 6:30 pm, and around 6:45 pm we attempted to break the world record of people dancing to The Village People’s live performance of “YMCA“. I’m actually not even sure if we ended up breaking the record, but I sure played my part.
Other performers throughout the night were Alanis Morissette, X Ambassadors, Sam Hunt, Post Malone, BTS and LL Cool J. Around 11:55 pm, the X Ambassadors did a live performance of John Lennon’s “Imagine“.Β
A minute before midnight, the Ball Dropped down and the lights turned off at the stroke of midnight. Wishes written on paper were floating in the air, the 2020 sign lit up and that was it… Happy New Year!
Tips to best prepare
Now you probably read in the previous section that you’ll need to wait for at least 12 hours without food, drinks or toilets.Β
Backpacks are not allowed, but you’ll still be able to bring your own food and drinks in a small shopping bag. This is at the police’s discretion though, so make sure to bring a disposable bag just in case they don’t allow it.
The real problem is 12 hours without a toilet. NowΒ this is in no way medical advice – so you’ll need to figure out for yourself what’s best – but this is how I prepared:
- Stay in a hotel close to Times Square, to minimise the time you’ll have to hold it before and after the event. We stayed in a hotel that was just 5 streets away from the Ball Drop.
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- In the week before New Year’s Eve, I ate and drink as I normally would (ok, maybe a bit more at Christmas), but tried to postpone my toilet visits as much as I could. You could also consider doing Kegel exercises toΒ train your bladder.
- On the day itself,Β avoid alcohol or caffeinated drinks.Β I even stopped drinking water from as early as 10:30 am. I was too scared to risk having to go to the toilet, that I only had a few tiny sips of water at 10 pm. I did get a slight headache from being dehydrated though, so it’s probably not the best advice, but at least I made it to the Ball Drop.
Also, being outside in New York City for 12 hours can get really cold in winter,Β so dress in layers.Β I was wearing a t-shirt, jumper, winter jacket, scarf, wool hat, gloves, tights, socks, and wool trousers.Β
Make a wish
If you want your wish to be floating down the sky during the Ball Drop, all you need to do is visit Times Square before 31 December.
You’ll find lots of different stands on Times Square where you can write your wish down on paper, and drop it in the wish box. Just like Jordi did here:
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Some of these wishes will be read out loud by a TV presenter on stage during the Ball Drop event, so you might be one of the lucky ones :).Β