New York New Years Eve 2014

Ball Drop, Events, Live Stream, Webcams, Parties, Hotels

Times Square, NYC, New York, USA, 31 December 2013, Midnight

Well, this is the big one! If Sydney and the fireworks over the harbour bridge are what gets New Years Eve started, then New York's Times Square hold the party everyone waits up for! The fireworks and the ball drop are the obvious highlight but there are events going on throughout the day - turn up nice and early (you'll need to!) and be treated to a full day of entertainment including live music, celebrity guest appearances, comedy acts and dancers.

Times Square is a major component of the New Year's Eve celebration, with the world famous ball drop. The Waterford crystal ball located on the roof of One Times Square begins descending its tower at 11:59 pm, and triggers fireworks at the stroke of midnight when it reaches the bottom. Toshiba's Times Square billboard screen, the "ToshibaVision", also displays a timer with the crowd counting at the final ten seconds.

This practice debuted when ITT branded the sign in 1996, but has been revamped with changes in its sponsorship during the years. From 1981 to 1988, the city revamped the ball to resemble a large apple, in recognition of its nickname as "the Big Apple". Similar ball drops are performed in many towns and cities across the United States. The custom derives from the time signal that used to be given at noon in harbors.

Watch all the action via the Times Square Ball Drop app

There is so much going on in New York on New Years Eve it's really difficult to know where to begin! So let's start with the obvious, there will be an absolutely enormous fireworks display in Times Square, second in popularity only to Sydney on a global scale and watched worldwide by an estimated audience in excess of 1 billion, although it you include replays and news broadcasts the number probably far exceeds even this amount.

The Times Square fireworks and ball drop are immediately preceded by the iconic Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year with Ryan Seacrest, where massive stars perform for the crowds and the same worldwide viewers on TV and online.

Places to watch live online: Times Square webcam.

The event is also webcast live here: Ball Drop Live

If you're planning on visiting New York over the New Year period, then early reservation is strongly recommend. You can search, check availability and book local hotels here.

We would love to hear feedback from anyone who has visited New York for New Years Eve and would like to share their experiences.

Also if you know of any events or parties we don't yet have listed, whether it's something you're attending or organising, please let us know and we'll be happy to update the page.