Double Drop Delight: Times Square's Historic New Year's Eve Ball Drop Twice in 2022
This year, the iconic New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square, New York, will take place twice in a single year. The Constellation Ball, the largest version of the New Year's Eve sphere, will be illuminated and raised on its 139-foot pole atop the One Times Square building on December 30. At 11:59 p.m. ET, the 12½-foot, 12,350-pound ball will descend for 60 seconds to ring in the new year. Following this, at 12:04 a.m., the ball will be relighted in a red, white, and blue design to mark "America250," a celebration of the nation's 250th anniversary. This dual drop is a first for the event.
"America250" will launch the semiquincentennial year on New Year's Eve in Times Square, a globally watched celebration that signifies the beginning of the largest commemoration in the nation's history in 2026. The Times Square ball has undergone several redesigns over the years to incorporate new technology. Since 2009, a ball has been permanently installed on top of One Times Square, serving as a year-round landmark and tourist attraction in Manhattan.
Times Square has been a hub for New Year's celebrations for 122 years, starting in 1904 with a fireworks display by The New York Times. When fireworks were no longer allowed, lighted spheres were used for the celebrations, inspired by chronographic spheres used by mariners in the 1800s. While the Times Square ball will be dropped twice this year, it remained unlit during World War II in 1942 and 1943 due to blackout restrictions.
This unique occurrence of the New Year's Eve ball drop happening twice in one year is a historic event that adds a special touch to the traditional celebration in Times Square.