The ball used for Times Square’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration is ready to be hoisted for the annual ball drop.
This year’s ball weighs 11,875 pounds and is 12 feet in diameter. It’s made up of 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles, which are bolted to 576 LED models attached to its aluminum frame.
Among the triangles, 192 new crystals are dedicated to this year’s Gift of Love theme.
“Every year, we bring a different message, gift of peace, gift of love, gift of friendship, but I think love is so important not only for our friends, families, loved ones, but for the whole world,” President Jeffrey Straus of Countdown Entertainment told WCBS.
Inside the ball contains 32,256 LED lights.
The ball will go up at 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. It begins descending one minute before midnight.
The ball drop has been an annual tradition since 1907. That year’s ball weighed 700 pounds.
The previous two ball drops had limited audiences due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Just 15,000 people were allowed to attend last year’s event.
