What material forms the panels of New York City’s Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball?

The panels of New York City’s Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball are made from Waterford Crystal. The Irish crystal company has supplied the ball’s decorative crystal panels since 2000, creating a long-running connection between the midnight ceremony and Irish craftsmanship.

The ball itself is illuminated and lowered from One Times Square during the final minute of December 31. Its modern design uses a geodesic sphere covered with triangular crystal panels, with internal LED lighting producing changing colors and patterns. The design has been updated several times as the ball became larger and more technologically advanced.

Waterford Crystal is sometimes confused with Swarovski crystal because both brands are associated with decorative crystal and public displays. They are separate companies, however. The ball’s history began in 1907, when an illuminated ball was first lowered in Times Square to mark the new year. The present crystal tradition is a later addition, not part of the original ceremony.