Confetti is traditionally dropped over crowds at New York City’s Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration. The pieces fall after the midnight countdown as part of the ceremony surrounding the illuminated ball drop.
The Times Square celebration uses large quantities of small paper pieces, often released from rooftops and buildings around the square. The confetti creates the familiar “snowfall” effect seen in photographs and broadcasts. Modern preparations can involve testing air currents so the material spreads across the viewing area.
New York’s confetti tradition grew from the broader Times Square celebration that developed after the early twentieth-century ball drop. It is separate from the ball itself: the ball marks the final countdown, while confetti provides a visual celebration immediately afterward.
People sometimes use “confetti” loosely for any falling decoration, but the Times Square material is designed as lightweight celebratory paper. In some years, messages submitted by members of the public have been printed on pieces of confetti, allowing personal hopes and wishes to become part of the spectacle.