The New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square takes place on December 31.
The ball descends during the final minute of December 31 and reaches the bottom at midnight, marking the beginning of January 1. The date is the same in the Gregorian calendar used for New Year's celebrations in the United States and many other countries.
The Times Square event developed from the New York Times' early twentieth-century celebration at its new headquarters. The newspaper's name remains attached to the district even though the publication moved away decades ago. The illuminated ball became the event's defining symbol after fireworks were no longer permitted there.
A common confusion is whether the celebration belongs to December 31 or January 1. New Year's Eve is the evening before New Year's Day: the gathering and countdown occur on December 31, while the new calendar year begins at the stroke of midnight.