The Times Square New Year’s Eve ball starts its descent at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time and reaches the bottom exactly at midnight to ring in the new year.

Basic timing

  • The ball begins dropping at 11:59 p.m. ET on December 31.
  • The descent lasts about 60 seconds and finishes right as the clock hits 12:00 a.m. on January 1.

Time zones

  • In the U.S. Central Time zone, that same ball drop moment corresponds to 11:00 p.m. local time, since it is tied to midnight in New York (Eastern Time).
  • On the West Coast (Pacific Time), viewers see the New York ball hit the bottom at 9:00 p.m. local time during live broadcasts.

Special note for 2025–2026

  • For the 2025–2026 New Year’s Eve, the Times Square ball is scheduled to make its usual drop at midnight, marking the start of 2026.
  • A special second drop has also been announced a few minutes after midnight (around 12:04 a.m. ET) as part of celebrations leading into the United States’ 250th anniversary year.

How to watch

  • Major TV networks and streaming platforms carry live New Year’s Eve specials from Times Square for several hours leading up to the 11:59 p.m. drop.
  • The official Times Square website also hosts a free livestream that typically begins early in the evening on December 31.

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