The 2026 Times Square America250 event staged eight time-zone ball drops.
The special celebration expanded the familiar Times Square tradition beyond its usual New Year’s Eve format. The event counted down to July 4, 2026, using repeated ball drops so that midnight could be recognized across the United States’ time zones.
The first drop honored midnight in the Chamorro Time Zone, which includes Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. A prominent drop occurred at midnight Eastern Time, and the final one marked midnight in the Samoa Time Zone for American Samoa. This made the program an unusually extended countdown rather than one single midnight ceremony.
The number eight refers to the drops, not to the number of U.S. states or territories. The event also included public festivities at One Times Square during the Independence Day weekend. The Times Square Ball itself is the illuminated geodesic ball traditionally lowered in New York City to mark the New Year.