Times Square Ball Drop

Perinteinen New Yorkin Times Squaren Ball Drop on maailman seuratuin uudenvuoden tapahtuma. Uudenvuoden juhlinta Times Squarella tapahtuu tänä vuonna virtuaalisesti. Vuodesta 1907 asti järjestetyssä vuoden vaihteen loppulaskennassa kristallipallo lasketaan vuoden viimeisellä minuutilla alas. Loppuhuipennuksessa taivas on täynnä ilotulitteita ja paperisilppua.

Pandemian runtelemassa New Yorkissa Times Square on historiallisesti suljettu yleisöltä uudenvuoden aattona. Viranomaiset epäilevät, että siitäkin huolimatta toiveikasta yleisöä saapuu paikan päälle pallon laskeutumista kurkkimaan. Normaalivuosina Time Squarella uuttavuotta vastaanottamassa paikanpäällä on jopa miljoona ihmistä. Nyt paikalla on vain muutama kymmenen kutsuvierasta, joiden joukossa New Yorkia pandemian kourissa palvelleita sankareita, kuten kaupungin koronavirukseen sairastunut pizzalähetti, Elmhurstin sairaalan lastelääkäri, sekä Staten Islandin veteraanilautturi, jolle tapahtuma on 40:nes vuoden vaihtuminen Times Squarella.

Tilaisuudessa esiintyvät mm. Jennifer Lopez (06:38), Billy Porter ja Cyndi Lauper (05:37) sekä Gloria Gaynor (03:45), joka esittää pandemian aikana suosioon nousseen 70-luvun diskohitin I will survive. 

Seuraa tilaisuutta ja vuoden viimeisten minuuttien laskentaa New Yorkista minuuttia ennen paikallista vuorokauden vaihtumista. Pallo alkaa laskeutumaan Suomen aikaa klo 06:59. Lähetys alkaa klo 01:00 Suomen aikaa.

https://www.facebook.com/timessquarenyc

Katso tallenne vuoden 2019 ball dropista (kuvassa).

AIKATAULU
(Suomen aikaa)

01:00 - 1:03
Lighting and Raising the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball
The celebration begins with the lighting and raising of the New Year’s Eve Ball atop One Times Square. We flip the giant switch which lights the New Year’s Eve Ball and begins its ascent accompanied by special pyrotechnic effects atop One Times Square.

01:08 - 01:12
ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve”: Performance by Billy Porter
Billy Porter will perform For What It’s Worth on the Countdown Stage.

01:57 - 2:00
Hourly Countdown

02:01 - 02:03
Good Riddance Day Highlights
The host of Times Square New Year’s Eve, Jonathan Bennett will share highlights from Good Riddance Day with the Times Square revelers from the Countdown Stage.

02:03 - 02:17
The USO Show Troupe Performance
The USO Show Troupe performs a Military Salute, Stars and Stripes, and Empire State of Mind to honor our Armed Forces on the Planet Fitness Center Stage.

02:58 - 03:00
Hourly Countdown

03:01 - 03:11
Musical Performance by Andra Day
Andra Day will perform her hit songs Rise Up and Forever Mine on the Planet Fitness Center Stage.

03:11 - 03:14
Waterford Crystal Toast

03:30 - 03:36
ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve”: Performance by Jimmie Allen
Jimmie Allen performs a medley of his hit songs on the Countdown Stage.

03:45 - 03:57
Musical Performance by Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor performs her hit songs I Will Survive, Never Can Say Goodbye and Joy Comes In The Morning on the Planet Fitness Center Stage.

03:57 - 4:00
Hourly Countdown

04:39 - 04:45
ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve”: Performance by Machine Gun Kelly
Machine Gun Kelly performs medley of his hit songs on the Countdown Stage.

04:58 - 05:00
Hourly Countdown with Planet Fitness

05:01 - 05:06
Planet Fitness Performance by The Waffle Crew
The Waffle Crew performs on the Planet Fitness Center Stage.

05:06 - 05:09
Barefoot Toast

05:18 - 05:26 
Univision’s ¡Feliz 2021!: Performance by Anitta
Anitta performs on the Planet Fitness Center Stage.

05:37 - 05:44
ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve”: Performance by Cyndi Lauper & Billy Porter
Cyndi Lauper & Billy Porter performs medley of songs on the Countdown Stage.

05:58 p.m. to 06:01 p.m.
Hourly Countdown with Raúl de Molina
As we approach the New Year, Raúl de Molina will appear at the Countdown Stage to wish the Times Square revelers “Happy New Year”; and lead the ten second countdown to the 11 o’clock hour accompanied by purple and yellow confetti release and colorful pyrotechnic effects atop One Times Square. He will also read several of the Confetti Wishes to be mixed into the confetti release at midnight and share his wish for the New Year.

06:01 p.m. to 06:15 p.m.
Univision’s ¡Feliz 2021!: Performance by Pitbull
Pitbull performs on the Planet Fitness Center Stage.

06:38 - 06:46
ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve”: Performance by Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez performs a medley of her hit songs on the Countdown Stage.

06:55 - 06:58
Special Musical Performance by Andra Day
Andra Day performs John Lennon’s Imagine on the Planet Fitness Center Stage.

06:59
The Sixty-Second Countdown
The Mayor of New York City will push the Waterford crystal button that signals the descent of the New Year’s Eve Ball, and lead the final sixty-second countdown to the New Year on the Countdown Stage.

The Waterford Crystal Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball
The lighted Ball descends 70 feet in sixty seconds. The Ball is a geodesic sphere, twelve feet in diameter, weighing 11,875 pounds. The Ball is covered with 2,688 Waterford crystal triangles and lit by 32,256 LEDs.

07:00 — New Year's Day
2021 Sign
At the stroke of Midnight, the lights on the New Year’s Eve Ball are turned off as the numerals of the New Year “2021” burst to life shining high above Times Square.

Times Square Confetti Release and Pyrotechnic Effects
The world-famous New Year's Eve confetti is released from the rooftops of buildings throughout Times Square creating a celebratory blizzard of colorful confetti as revelers welcome the New Year accompanied by colorful pyrotechnic effects. The three thousand pounds of confetti includes tens of thousands of wishes from revelers around the world hoping for peace, love, good health and a better future in the new year.