By The Numbers: New Years Eve in Times Square
By Sarah Emily Gilbert
New Year’s Eve is only 1 day away, but we all know the true countdown begins at 11:59 p.m. in Times Square when the famous Centennial Ball descends 141 feet to ring in 2017. This year, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon will push the button to release the crystal geodesic sphere. As part of their 10-year “Greatest Gifts” series, Waterford Crystal manufactured crystals with a particular theme for the upcoming year to add to the Ball. This year’s design is the “Gift of Kindness,” featuring a circle of rosettes for unity and fronds reaching out as an expression of kindness. While we eagerly await the countdown to 2017, here is New Year’s Eve in NYC by the numbers:
1,000,000
people are expected to gather in Times Square to celebrate the New Year
1,000,000,000
viewers worldwide are expected to gather in their living rooms to watch the event on television
6,000
police officers were on-duty for New Years Eve in 2016, but with recent lone-wolf attacks like that at the Berlin Christmas market, those numbers are expected to increase for 2017
799
dollars for a table on New Years Eve at Bubba Gump Shrimp in Times Square (The Slate.com)
0
The amount of portable public restrooms available during the event (timessquarenyc.org)
6 p.m.
the estimated time the Ball gets raised before making its famous descent hours later
11,875 pounds
the weight of this year’s Ball, which measures 12 feet across
2,688
crystals make up the Ball. 288 of them are updated to the pattern of the new year’s “gift,” making the ball a series of “gifts” both past and present
16,000,000
different color and pattern combinations are possible on the NYE Ball, which is made up of 8, 064 red, 8, 064 blue, 8, 064 green, and 8, 064 white LED lights
110
years since the NYE tradition began in 1907, when the Ball was made of iron, wood, and 100 25-watt light bulbs
1942 & 1943
the only years the ball didn’t drop because of the blackout requirement for NYC during the war
1° F
The coldest NYE recorded since the tradition started was in 1917 when the temperature was 1° F. The average temperature is 33.7° F (balldrop.com)
3,000
pounds of confetti are released at midnight. They are made of pieces of paper from the “Wishing Wall” in the Broadway Plazas, where people can write down their wishes for the new year from December 1-29. (timessquareball.net)
8:00 a.m.
The estimated time the New York City Department of Sanitation clears the 50 tons of confetti dropped the previous night (wikipedia.org)
2000
The year it was decided that the Ball would be put on display year round at One Times Square
If you’re trying to decide whether or not to “brave the storm” that is NYE in Times Square, read this note from the Wilderness Survival Corps - I mean Times Square Organization - on how to prepare for the event.
“Dress warmly. Remember that you could be spending an extended period of time outdoors in potentially below-freezing conditions. You should be well-prepared and well-insulated. Many layers, synthetics (such as Goretex and polypropylene), wind-resistant and water-repellant outerwear and a good hat are the keys to staying warm.
Finally, remember to drink lots of water and avoid alcohol and caffeine. Not only is public drinking illegal in New York City, but both caffeine and alcohol will dehydrate you. Dehydration is very common and can sneak up on you in cold weather.” (www.timessquarenyc.org)
