December 30, 2019
By NYC 311
You can watch the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball descend from a flagpole at the top of One Times Square. The best viewing locations are along Broadway, from 43rd Street to 50th Street, and along Seventh Avenue, as far north as 59th Street.
At 6 PM on December 31, the Ball will be raised to the top of the 77-foot flagpole at One Times Square and will then be lit. At 11:59 PM, the Ball will make its 60-second descent down the flagpole to signal the start of the New Year.
If you are planning to come to Times Square and join in the festivities, you are urged take public transportation. You should not use the 42nd Street Subway Station on New Year’s Eve due to crowding conditions. You should exit at one of the surrounding stations and enter the viewing area on foot. Some entrances and exits may be closed and trains may also bypass some stations depending on the crowds.
For your safety, the following items are prohibited. No personal property can be left or abandoned at the entrance or checkpoints.
- Alcoholic Beverages
- Backpacks
- Coolers
- Knapsacks
- Large Bags
- Stools
- Umbrellas
All attendees will be screened twice before entering the viewing area.
The New York Police Department will control all access points to Times Square. Emergency Service squads, drug and bomb sniffing canine units and counter-terrorism personnel will be present in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
- At the entry points, and at the spectator viewing areas, each person will be searched with a hand-held wand.
- All bags will be searched. Persons declining search will not be admitted to the area.
- Attendees will not be permitted to return to their area if they leave before the Ball drops.
As it does every year, the NYPD will continue its drunk driving enforcement on New Year’s Eve through DWI patrols and checkpoints throughout the City.
