Are There Two Times Square Ball Drops This New Year?

After making what I assumed would be a shocking confession a few weeks back (that as a NY'er I had never been to NYE in Times Square, and probably never will), but the conversations that followed from fellow New York residents helped to confirm i'm not alone - that experience is not for the weak (me), and many have never journeyed to NYC for the big celebration.

As we prepare to flip the calendar page fro 2025 to 2026 (how DO they always manage to make the numbers into those glasses??), something interesting, and a 'first ever' will happen in Times Square.

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SEE ALSO: I've Never Done These 'Big Three' New Yorker Things

The Times Square Ball: A History

On December 31, 1907, in order to welcome the year 1908, the first ever Times Square ball drop took place in NYC under the organization of Adolph Ochs, who owned the New York Times. The first ever ball weighed 700 pounds, and was decorated only with 100 incandescent bulbs. The ball drop was facilitated by six 'men who used ropes to lower it from the flagpole atop One Times Square.'

Fast Forward to 1920, the ball received a makeover and was utilized until 1995, when a new and improved ball was debuted that included rhinestones and a computerized light system. To welcome the millennium, an entirely new ball was constructed and introduced, measuring 6 feet and covered with 504 Waterford Crystal triangles and showcasing 168 halogen bulbs, along with 432 internal lights.

In 2008 a newer Waterford Crystal ball debuted, same diameter but weighing 1,212 pounds, using LED lights and 16.7 million colors, but this ball was only used one time before a newer version was introduced in 2009 that weighed 11,875 pounds. The 2008 ball is the one permanently displayed in NYC year round.

This year, a newly designed 'Constellation Ball' that dons new crystal patterns and LED capabilities will launch.

The Times Square Ball Will Drop Two Times This Year

For the first time in Times Square ball drop history, there will be two separate ball drop ceremonies to ring in 2026. The first one as usual, to welcome 2026 with the regular pomp and circumstance, countdown, etc.

The second, a historic tribute to the United States' 250th birthday! After the first drop, minutes later around 12:04am, the 'Constellation Ball' will rise again, this time displaying a red white and blue design, with an estimated 2,000 pounds of patriotic confetti, a pyrotechnic show, and America The Beautiful as the soundtrack.

Here's the tricky part, the ball will not drop right away, not until Friday, July 3rd to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

You can learn more about the 250th plans, and the historical context of 'two ball drops' here.