New York City Goes 'Ball-istic' on New Year's Eve

It’s a tradition that thousands of tourists, teenagers, and tipplers have celebrated in person every year—crammed close together at the apex of Times Square in New York City—and that millions of the rest of us worldwide prefer to see on television at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on New Year’s Eve. As the ball drops slowly, revelers wait for the final 10 seconds of the old year before they begin to chant the countdown; then they scream felicitations, enjoy a smooch and a hug, and steal off into the crowded night, hoping that the next 12 months will be the best of their lives.

While other towns have tried to duplicate the Big Apple (News - Alert) bash, none has quite the energy or élan of the original—and none has a ball that can rival the globe atop One Times Square.

According to the Times Square Alliance, the ball has been lowered every year since 1907, with the exceptions of 1942-43, when the ceremony was suspended due to the wartime “dim-out” of lights in New York City. Nevertheless, the crowds still gathered in Times Square in those years and greeted the New Year with a minute of silence followed by the ringing of chimes from sound trucks parked at the base of the tower— harkening-back to the earlier celebrations at Trinity Church, where crowds would gather to “ring out the old, ring in the new.

The first New Year’s Eve ball was a 700-pound behemoth—five feet in diameter, constructed of iron and wood, and adorned with 100, 25-watt light bulbs. It was built by a young immigrant metalworker named Jacob Starr, and for most of the 20th century the company he founded, sign maker Artkraft Strauss, located nearby on Broadway, was responsible for lowering the ball.

The current ball—a sparkling geodesic sphere made by (and of) Ireland’s famous Waterford Crystal—is 12 feet in diameter and weighs 11, 875 pounds, more than an elephant. It has been built to withstand the stresses of high winds, precipitation, and temperature fluctuations, to brightly shine over 400 feet above Times Square throughout the year.

There are 2,688 crystal triangles in the ball—bolted to 672 LED (light-emitting diode) modules, which are attached to the aluminum frame of the ball. The ball is illuminated by 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel LEDs —with each of the 672 modules containing 48 Philips (News - Alert) LEDs: 12 red, 12 blue, 12 green, and 12 white, for a total of 8,064 of each color. By mixing these four colors, the ball is capable of creating a palette of more than 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns, producing a spectacular kaleidoscope effect.

New Year’s 2012 marks the 12th consecutive year that Philips Lighting, with North American headquarters in Somerset, New Jersey, has served as the official lighting partner to the world-famous Times Square New Year’s Eve ball. Philips Luxeon LEDs in this year's ball represent more than three times the number of LEDS used last year, to deliver a brighter and more beautiful New Year's experience than ever before. And this year’s ball is 10 percent to 20 percent more energy efficient than last year’s already energy-efficient sphere—consuming only the same amount of energy per hour as it would take to operate two traditional home ovens."At Philips Lighting, we are proud to be driving innovative and energy-efficient solutions for the world's broad range of lighting applications —from celebrated landmarks to consumers' homes," said Philips Lighting Company director of Corporate Communications Susan Bloom. “Now bigger in size and incorporating even more powerful and energy-efficient Philips Luxeon LEDs than last year, this year's ball will deliver a New Year's Eve experience that will be brighter, more beautiful, and more sustainable than ever before."

 “For one hundred years, the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball has attracted millions of revelers to Times Square on December 31st to celebrate the beginning of the New Year” said Jeff Straus, president of Countdown Entertainment and co-organizer of Times Square New Year’s Eve. “The new Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball will be a bright sparkling jewel atop One Times Square, entertaining New Yorkers and tourists from around the world not only on December 31, but throughout the year.”

“The New Year’s Eve Ball is bigger, better and brighter than ever, just like Times Square itself,” said Times Square Alliance President Tim Tompkins. “And like Times Square, it’s not afraid to show off. That’s why we’re proudly putting it on display year-round so visitors to the neighborhood can enjoy a true Crossroads of the World icon.”