Organisers in New York have successfully completed a test run of the Times Square New Year’s Eve crystal ball, less than 48 hours before the annual countdown celebration.
A test of New York City’s iconic New Year’s Eve ball drop was carried out successfully in Times Square on Tuesday, 30 December, organisers said.
Standing on a platform above Times Square, representatives from Countdown Entertainment and partner organisations activated the switch to illuminate and raise the crystal ball up the flagpole before lowering it again.
“It went up, it came down, and we are ready for tomorrow,” said Jeffrey Strauss, president of Countdown Entertainment.
The new ball, known as the Constellation Ball, is the ninth version of the Times Square New Year’s Eve ball and the largest ever used. It weighs 12,350 pounds and features 5,280 Waterford crystal circles, replacing the triangular design used in previous versions.
Strauss said the circular crystals are designed to resemble stars, giving the ball its constellation theme.
Organisers also announced plans for a record-breaking amount of confetti during the celebrations, with nearly three tonnes set to be released in stages throughout the night. The display will include purple and yellow confetti during the countdown, multicoloured confetti at midnight, and red, white and blue confetti to mark the start of America’s 250th anniversary year shortly after midnight.
Strauss said hundreds of thousands of people are expected to gather in Times Square, while more than one billion viewers worldwide are expected to watch the countdown.
The crystal ball will remain unlit until the final seconds before midnight on 31 December 2025, when it will descend to mark the arrival of the New Year.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is set to attend Supreme Court oral arguments this week in a case examining whether President Donald Trump has the...
At the World Economic Forum’s “Defining Eurasia’s Economic Identity” panel on 20 January 2026, leaders from Azerbaijan, Armenia and Serbia dis...
The European Parliament has frozen the ratification of a trade agreement with the United States after fresh tariff threats from Donald Trump, escalati...
On 20 January, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev gave an exclusive interview to Euronews during the World Economic Forum 2026 in Da...
One year into his return to the White House, President Donald Trump has used tariffs, military operations and immigration crackdowns to drive an expan...
Russia’s liquefied natural gas transit through Azerbaijan is emerging as a strategically significant development for Armenia at a time of rising domestic pressure on energy supplies, according to political analyst Fuad Karimli.Speaking to AnewZ, Karimli said the issue has gained urgency as Armenia f
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is set to attend Supreme Court oral arguments this week in a case examining whether President Donald Trump has the authority to remove a sitting Federal Reserve governor.
At the World Economic Forum’s “Defining Eurasia’s Economic Identity” panel on 20 January 2026, leaders from Azerbaijan, Armenia and Serbia discussed how the South Caucasus and wider Eurasian region can strengthen economic ties, peace and geopolitical stability amid shifting global influence.
On 20 January, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev gave an exclusive interview to Euronews during the World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos, reflecting on Azerbaijan’s strategy in a changing global order and the country’s evolving role in the South Caucasus and global energy markets.
Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani has died at the age of 93, his foundation said on Monday.
More than 100 vehicles were involved in a massive pileup on Interstate 96 in western Michigan on Monday (19 January), forcing the highway to shut in both directions amid severe winter weather.
The European Parliament has frozen the ratification of a trade agreement with the United States after fresh tariff threats from Donald Trump, escalating tensions between Washington and Brussels.
Five skiers were killed in a pair of avalanches in Austria’s western Alpine regions on Saturday, with two others injured, one critically.
A fresh consignment of precision-guided munitions has departed from the Indian city of Nagpur bound for Yerevan, marking the latest phase in the rapidly expanding defence partnership between India and Armenia.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is set to attend Supreme Court oral arguments this week in a case examining whether President Donald Trump has the authority to remove a sitting Federal Reserve governor.
One year into his return to the White House, President Donald Trump has used tariffs, military operations and immigration crackdowns to drive an expansive vision of U.S. power that is generating strong resistance abroad and sharpening political divides at home.
There was a common theme in speeches at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday (20 January). China’s Vice-Premier, He Lifeng, warned that "tariffs and trade wars have no winners," while France's Emmanuel Macron, labelled "endless accumulation of new tariffs" from the U.S. "fundamentally unacceptable."
Moldova's government in Chisinau has initiated the final legal steps to sever its institutional ties with Moscow’s post-Soviet alliance, marking a decisive moment in the small Eastern European nation’s pivot towards the West.
Russia launched a combined drone and missile attack on Ukraine early on Tuesday, knocking out power and heating supplies to thousands of apartment buildings in Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment