Waterford has supplied crystal for the Times Square New Year's Eve ball since 2000.
The Times Square Ball is a large illuminated sphere lowered at midnight in New York City. Waterford Crystal began providing the ball's crystal panels in 2000, when the event introduced a new design for the start of the new millennium. Later versions used triangular crystal panels arranged over a lit geodesic framework.
The ball is not made from one solid piece of crystal. Its surface consists of many individually shaped panels fitted to a metal structure and illuminated from within. The design and number of panels have changed over time as lighting technology and annual themes developed.
The ceremony itself predates the Waterford partnership. A ball was first lowered in Times Square in 1907, replacing earlier fireworks used to signal the new year. The modern event therefore combines an early twentieth-century New York tradition with a later crystal-and-light design.