BUFFALO (WBEN) - It may be hard to believe, but New Year's Eve is less than two weeks away, which means local officials and sponsors are preparing for the annual ball drop celebration in Downtown Buffalo.
Mayor Brown is at the Electric Tower this morning to highlight the festivities of New Year's Eve in Roosevelt Plaza, including the 32nd annual ball drop and fireworks display in Downtown Buffalo. @NewsRadio930 pic.twitter.com/w70uqZUsRj
— Brendan Keany (@BrendanKeany) December 18, 2019
Some of this year's highlights include performances by Tommy Z and the All Star Band, saxophonist Will Holton, and of course plenty of other things to do in Roosevelt Plaza, including live coverage by eyewitness news at 11 oclock. The event also benefits City youth.
"As PAL Chair, I recognize the importance of PAL to our City, and I encourage New Year's Eve revelers to continue to support this valuable organization which provides recreation, education and cultural opportunities for our youth," said Mayor Byron Brown.
Uber is working in conjunction with event planners this year to help out party attendees, as they're setting up a ride-sharing zone on Pearl Street in between Huron and Chippewa. As safety for these kinds of events has become a paramount of importance, Deputy Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia encouraged people to avoid bringing in larger bags.
"We take security for the ball drop, obviously, very serious," he said. "Planning is months in the making - we've had multiple meetings. We look at the plans that we've done ine previous years, ovbiously we look at what goes on around the country and around the world, and we work with our partners - local, state and federal - and we plan and provide a very safe event and will do that again this year."
