For the first time in the tradition’s 120-year history, a second celebration will take place immediately after the Times Square ball drops on New Year's Eve.
At around 12:04 a.m., the Constellation Ball – the brand new, 12,350-pound, Waterford crystal and LED puck-covered Times Square Ball – will shift to red, white and blue, and will bear the number 250 in honor of America's 250th anniversary.
It will be accompanied by “literally several tons of red, white and blue confetti,” said Rosie Rios, Chair of America250, in a phone interview. Organizers say it'll be the first-ever post-midnight confetti release.
America250 is a nonpartisan group that Congress has tasked with leading the nation’s 250th birthday celebration next year.
A year-long celebration is planned for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
“This is seven years in the making,” Rios added, explaining that America250 partnered with One Times Square and the Times Square Alliance soon after its formation.
America250 is also bringing the ball back to Times Square for a Fourth of July ball drop.
“The Fourth of July countdown moment will anchor America250’s nationwide Independence Day celebrations and reinforce New York City’s central role in the nation’s semiquincentennial,” organizers say in a press release.
The July event will also represent another first in the tradition’s history. It will be the first time “in over a century of the ball drop in Times Square where they’re going to do one outside of New Year’s Eve,” the release states.
Correction: This story and its headline have been updated to clarify that the event will be commemorated with a confetti drop. A previous version misstated details about the event.
