What is the name of New York City's traditional New Year's Eve ball-drop square?
Answer
Times Square
Answer
Times Square
New York City's traditional New Year's Eve ball-drop location is Times Square.
Times Square is a major commercial and entertainment intersection in Midtown Manhattan, centered around Broadway and Seventh Avenue near 42nd Street. Its electric signs, theaters, and dense pedestrian spaces make it a natural setting for a large televised public celebration.
The area's New Year's tradition began after the first ball descent in 1907. Newspapers and city officials helped turn the event into a recurring public spectacle, and crowds continued to gather even as the physical ball and surrounding buildings changed.
Times Square was formerly called Longacre Square. It received its current name after The New York Times moved its headquarters to the Times Building, now One Times Square, in the early twentieth century. The square is sometimes confused with the nearby Theater District, but the ball drop specifically takes place at Times Square and One Times Square.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026