Your guide to NYC’s 2026 New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square: what to know

New York City is set to ring in 2026 with the annual New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square, as huge crowds gather for fin de año celebrations amid freezing temperatures and heightened security in Midtown Manhattan.

The New Year’s Eve ball is perched atop One Times Square, along Broadway in the Theatre District. Around one million people are expected. Spectator access points are located at 45th, 49th, 52nd and 56th streets on Sixth and Eighth avenues. Officials say the best viewing areas are along Broadway from 43rd to 50th streets, and Seventh Avenue as far north as 59th Street.

The ball drops at exactly midnight, continuing a tradition that dates back to 1907. Spectator entrances open at 3pm, with the ball lit and raised into position at 6pm. The 60-second countdown begins at 11:59pm, followed by a confetti release. Sanitation crews will later clear more than one tonne of confetti from the area.

Performances and broadcast schedule

Performers at Times Square include Jenn O’Hagan, B.o.B, Ciara, Tones and I, LE SSERAFIM, Robyn, Little Big Town, Xavi, Maren Morris, Ana Bárbara and Diana Ross.

CBS will also air New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash, featuring Jason Aldean, Lainey Wilson, Bailey Zimmerman, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, Riley Green, Marcus King, Megan Moroney, Zach Top, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, Stephen Wilson Jr. and Dwight Yoakam, with guest appearances from Dusty Slay, Cassie DiLaura, Buzz Brainard and UFC champion Kayla Harrison.

For those watching at home, the Times Square Alliance will stream live coverage from 6pm to 12:30am. CBS News New York will broadcast the countdown from 10:30pm, while Nashville’s Big Bash airs from 8–10pm on CBS and streams on Paramount+.

Travel, street closures and security

Officials strongly recommend public transport. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says extra subway services will run into the evening and after midnight. Drivers should expect heavy congestion. Streets between West 34th and West 59th streets, from Sixth to Eighth avenues, will be closed from 4am, with closures expanding throughout the day.

Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said there are no specific, credible threats, but security will be tighter than last year. Thousands of officers will be deployed across Times Square, with additional screening teams inside spectator pens. Authorities will also use drones, counter-drone technology and an operations command centre positioned above the ball. Adams said peaceful protest will be respected, but there will be zero tolerance for behaviour that disrupts the celebrations.