Which New Year’s Eve event in New York City was suspended during World War II blackouts?

The Times Square ball drop was the New Year’s Eve event in New York City suspended during World War II blackouts. In 1942 and 1943, the illuminated ball was not lowered because wartime blackout rules required New York to reduce visible light.

Crowds still gathered in Times Square, but midnight was marked by a minute of silence followed by the ringing of church bells. The ball drop resumed in 1944, when the wartime restrictions no longer prevented the public tradition from returning.

The interruption is sometimes confused with the event’s earlier history: the first ball drop took place in 1907, and the tradition has continued through other disruptions and design changes. The wartime pause is specifically about the ball’s illumination and descent, not the complete disappearance of New Year celebrations in Times Square.