NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – The countdown is on, and organizers of the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration conducted a final rehearsal of the ball drop on Saturday to ensure nothing goes wrong at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31.
Jeffrey Straus, President of Countdown Entertainment, told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880 that he wants to avoid potential complications, like when ropes got tangled up in the 1950s.
“You know, you just want to rehearse, you want to get the timing right. Look, the eyes of the world are going to be watching us, we can’t get it wrong!,” Straus said.
After a successful rehearsal, the ball – which now has more modern equipment – was raised back to the top of a pole at One Times Square, where it will remain until it descends Sunday night.
“We actually flipped the big switch, the lights to the ball, the ball went 66 feet, in two minutes, up to the top of the pole where it stays until 11:59 p.m., where it comes down in 60 seconds,” Straus said.
The ball drop has been happening at Times Square since 1907, and this year’s 11,875-pound ball will be illuminated by 32,256 energy efficient LEDs and 2,688 crystal triangles.
The ball is capable of displaying more than 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns, creating a kaleidoscope effect.
Performances begin at Times Square Sunday at 6 p.m. and will go until 12:15 a.m., with artists like Flo Rida and LL Cool J taking the stage.
At the stroke of midnight, the ball will conclude its descent to ring in the New Year.
“When the ball drops, it’ll touch the numerals of 2024, they’ll burst into light, there will be a blizzard of confetti here in Times Square,” Straus said.