New York City's New Year's Eve midnight countdown takes place in Times Square.
The gathering is centered on the Times Square Ball, which descends from One Times Square shortly before midnight. The modern ball-drop tradition began in 1907, when publisher Adolph Ochs arranged a nighttime celebration for the headquarters of The New York Times. The first ball was made of iron and wood and illuminated with electric lamps.
The event became a major public spectacle, with crowds filling the surrounding streets and millions more watching through broadcasts. The ball has been redesigned several times as lighting technology and materials changed. Today it is covered with Waterford crystal panels and illuminated by LEDs.
Times Square is in Midtown Manhattan, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue. It is not the same location as nearby Madison Square or Union Square, two other New York places whose names can cause confusion.