Square Times Ball Year's Eve Celebration Large Famous

When is it time to celebrate the arrival of the new year, the largest and the most "well-publicized" (made known to the most people) celebration in the U.S. is the one that takes place in Times Square in New York City. Times Square is a large "commercial" (with businesses, stores) area where two main streets "intersect" (cross; meet): Broadway and Seventh Avenue.

Near Times Square is the Theater District, the famous theaters, which show plays and other performances. Since the theaters are located on or near Broadway, we often refer to these theaters "collectively" (together; combined) as "Broadway," as in "Only the best actors are in plays on Broadway."

During the Times Square New Year's Eve celebration on the evening of December 31st, about 1 million people gather to celebrate. In addition to the "ton of" (a lot of) falling confetti, people who are gathered there will experience the Time Square ball drop. The famous ball is made with electric lights and "crystals," pieces of what look like glass, which is why the ball is so bright and "sparkly" (sending out flashes of light, like a diamond).

The Time Ball "sits" (is located) high up over Times Square and slowly "descends" (comes down) 77 feet (23 meters) during the last minute of the year. As the large crowd "counts down" (counting from the highest number to the lowest), the ball descends and reaches the bottom at 12:00 a.m. When it does, everyone "cheers" (shout with joy) and that's when the "confetti" (small pieces of colored paper) falls. Those who can't or don't want to be in Times Square on New Year's Eve can watch it on TV.