The first New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square was held in 1904. The event was organized by The New York Times to celebrate the opening of its new headquarters in the newly named Times Square.
That first celebration featured a fireworks display at the base of the building and attracted a large crowd. The famous ball drop began three years later, in 1907, after city officials prohibited the fireworks display. This distinction is important: 1904 marks the first Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration, while 1907 marks the beginning of the ball-drop tradition.
The location was formerly known as Longacre Square. It took the name Times Square after The New York Times moved its headquarters there. The newspaper later left the building, but the name and annual celebration remained attached to the intersection and its surrounding pedestrian gathering area.