The famous New Year’s Eve ball is located in Manhattan’s Times Square.
Times Square was formerly called Longacre Square. It was renamed in 1904 after The New York Times moved its headquarters to the newly completed Times Building, now known as One Times Square. The newspaper’s presence helped establish the area as a major center of illuminated advertising and public celebration.
The first New Year’s Eve ball drop followed in 1907, after New York City officials banned the newspaper’s fireworks display. The tradition survived changes in the ball, building, and surrounding technology, and it became a global symbol of the transition to a new year.
A common mix-up is to call the landmark “Times Square Ball” as though the ball were the name of the location. The ball is lowered at One Times Square, while Times Square is the broader public district around the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue.