The Times Square Ball was lowered eight times during America250’s special 2026 countdown.
The unusual sequence reflected the United States’ multiple time zones and territories. Instead of waiting for one midnight, the ball-drop event was repeated so that different American time zones could mark the anniversary as local midnight arrived.
The special event took place around July 3 and July 4, 2026, rather than being an ordinary New Year’s Eve celebration. The earliest lowering corresponded to the Chamorro Time Zone, which includes Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, while the final lowering corresponded to the Samoa Time Zone in American Samoa.
This arrangement is easy to confuse with the single annual New Year’s Eve ball drop. The America250 event was a one-off anniversary countdown designed to connect Times Square with communities across the United States and its territories.