They are not literally “dropping the ball twice” on New Year’s Eve itself, but the Times Square ball is being used in two special moments tied to the 2026 celebrations.

What “dropping the ball twice” means

  • For New Year’s Eve going into 2026, the traditional ball drop at midnight in Times Square still happens as usual to ring in the new year.
  • After midnight, the same Constellation Ball is lit again in a special red, white, and blue “America 250” design to highlight the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, which is why people say it’s involved “twice.”

The July 2026 second drop

  • In addition to New Year’s, organizers planned another official ball drop on July 3, 2026 (the eve of the U.S. 250th birthday), making this the first year the Times Square ball drops on a date other than New Year’s Eve.
  • That July event is part of the broader America250 commemoration, with patriotic colors, confetti, and a special program built around the anniversary theme.

Why people are confused

  • Some reports and social posts framed it as the ball “dropping twice” on New Year’s Eve, while clarifications emphasize it actually drops once at midnight, is relit shortly after, and then drops again on July 3, 2026.
  • The phrase “are they dropping the ball twice” has become a trending shorthand for this unusual setup: one standard New Year’s Eve drop, plus a historic extra drop later in the year to mark 250 years since 1776.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.