Which New Year’s Eve event in New York City is famous for dropping a lighted ball at midnight?

New York City’s famous midnight lighted-ball event is the Times Square Ball Drop.

The celebration takes place at One Times Square in Manhattan. A ball descends from a flagpole near the top of the building during the final minute of December 31, reaching the base at midnight to mark the start of January 1. Large crowds gather in Times Square, while millions more watch broadcasts.

The first ball drop took place on December 31, 1907, organized by newspaper publisher Adolph Ochs to celebrate the new headquarters of The New York Times. The ball has been redesigned several times, and modern versions use illuminated crystal panels and computer-controlled lighting.

The event is sometimes confused with other New York holiday spectacles, including the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. That parade occurs in November and has no midnight New Year countdown.