Which city hosts the annual New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square?

New York City hosts the annual New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square.

Times Square is in Midtown Manhattan, at the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue. The midnight ball drop takes place above One Times Square, where a descending illuminated sphere marks the final seconds of the old year.

The first event occurred in 1907, when the New York Times organized a celebration connected with its newly completed headquarters. The building's rooftop fireworks had been restricted, so the newspaper adopted a time-ball-style visual signal instead. The idea proved popular and became an annual tradition.

Although the event is often described simply as “New York's ball drop,” the location matters: it is specifically Times Square, not Central Park or another city landmark. Millions of people have watched the celebration in person or through television broadcasts, making it one of the most widely recognized New Year's Eve events in the United States.