In New York City's New Year's Eve celebration, confetti is dropped at midnight besides the illuminated ball.
The confetti release is part of the Times Square celebration in Manhattan. As the illuminated ball completes its descent, crowds gather beneath a shower of small paper pieces, creating one of the event's most recognizable visual moments.
The modern celebration grew from New York's newspaper-era festivities. The first Times Square ball drop took place in 1907, and the event later became a major national and international broadcast. Confetti helps mark the exact transition into January 1 while adding a celebratory spectacle that can be seen from the surrounding streets and viewed on television.
The ball and confetti serve different roles: the ball provides the timed visual countdown, while the confetti signals the climax. The object is not fireworks, which are used at some other New Year's celebrations around the world.