Times Square marks New Year's Eve 2025 in New York City

Friday, January 17, 2025

People from around the world celebrated the coming new year with the ceremonial ball drop in Times Square, New York on the New Year's Eve on December 31, 2024.

On New Year's Eve, at Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve in Times Square, large crowds gathered for hours to see the ball drop, weathering stormy conditions throughout the evening and wrapping themselves in plastic ponchos; many streets were blocked off, between Sixth and Eighth Avenues, and between 38th Street and 56th Street, with various entrances placed at different intersections for crowd control. Small crowds would be placed in 'holding pens' along paths approaching Times Square; occasionally, police officers would allow some people in one pen to join the next pen and get closer to Times Square.

Rain started around 7:00 p.m. New York Time (midnight, UTC); an hour before the ball descended, the rain stopped and the weather cleared to allow for an ideal viewing experience. Shortly before midnight, Mickey Guyton performed a version of John Lennon's Imagine. Once the ball dropped, following a countdown until midnight, large amounts of confetti were released, which included little colored pieces of paper on which people had written messages.

"We came last year and we were all the way in Central Park," a woman named Ile told Wikinews in Times Square, after midnight. "We couldn't see too much, so we said 'next year we will come back.' We made it." What about next year? Her partner David replied: "We're going to be even closer to the stage."

As soon as people started departing, crews began to dismantle the event setup. Even the ball would be dismantled, as it was to be retired and replaced—with a new iteration.

Preparation for the festivities started on the weekend, during which workers had set up stages, sound systems, and displays for the event. Between 42nd and 48th Streets and beyond, equipment for the event was set up by production crews. On side streets, large containers were also parked housing broadcasting equipment.

On Monday and Tuesday, leading up to New Year's Eve, merchants hawked New Year's-themed merchandise. Vendor tables were scattered across the streets of Manhattan, often situated right by subway station entrances going in the direction to Times Square.

Saturday, December 28, was Good Riddance Day, an annual event hosted by actor Jonathan Bennett. People lined up, braving the slight precipitation, to write on little chalkboards things they want to leave behind in 2024, then cathartically erase them. Messages erased were put up onto a tall display in Times Square, below the ball, floating up to the sky. Bystanders could also submit their messages using a QR code, allowing them to be displayed virtually and float away.

"I think a lot of times we make a New Year's resolution for things that we want to do, but we forget there's a whole bunch of stuff that we could leave behind. And I like the idea of, 'Hey, I'm not bringing this into another year,'" A participant named Jennine told Wikinews "I like getting rid of it;" Julie, who was with her, added, "Empty your cup before before you fill it back up."

Separately, a participant named Mireia told Wikinews that she wanted to say 'Good riddance' to her mother's ovarian cancer. "She['s had] cancer for one year and a half ... but it's very bad cancer," adding that the cancer was considered to be stage four. While on holiday from Spain, she was participating in Good Riddance Day in order to share her story with scientists working on treatments and to "send that message to the world."

Gallery

Category:Good Riddance Day 2024

Category:New Year 2025 celebrations in Times Square

The Times Square Ball
Image: Alex Lozupone (Wikimedia Commons).
AV equipment line the streets
Image: Alex Lozupone (Wikimedia Commons).
A police dog assisting in crowd control
Image: Alex Lozupone (Wikimedia Commons).
A newsstand worker was open throughout the night
Image: Alex Lozupone (Wikimedia Commons).
8th avenue was blocked off to vehicle traffic
Image: Alex Lozupone (Wikimedia Commons).

Crowds enter the crowd control area
Image: Alex Lozupone (Wikimedia Commons).
Waiting at the edge of one of the holding pens
Image: Alex Lozupone (Wikimedia Commons).
The start of the next pen over
Image: Alex Lozupone (Wikimedia Commons).
Some people are let out of a pen into a closer pen
Image: Alex Lozupone (Wikimedia Commons).
Waiting in ponchos because of the rain
Image: Alex Lozupone (Wikimedia Commons).

The ball descending, with accompanying fireworks
Image: Alex Lozupone (Wikimedia Commons).
Confetti rains down on celebrations
Image: Alex Lozupone (Wikimedia Commons).
Wet confetti on the ground
Image: Alex Lozupone (Wikimedia Commons).
Two members of the press take a photo together
Image: Alex Lozupone (Wikimedia Commons).
A child takes some confetti off the ground
Image: Alex Lozupone (Wikimedia Commons).