Good morning. It’s Wednesday. Today we’ll look at New Year’s Eve celebrations in New York City.
The countdown to 2026 is on. Here’s what to know about New Year’s Eve in New York City, whether you’re celebrating in the streets of Manhattan or from your couch.
What should I do on New Year’s Eve?
Some New Yorkers long to see the ball drop in person at least once, though there are many other things to do in New York City on Dec. 31. Erik Piepenburg cataloged 43 of them for The New York Times, including a 10 a.m. party at the Bronx Children’s Museum, music and fireworks in Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza, a drag show in East Williamsburg (“New Queers Eve”), and a midnight run through Central Park.
Where can I watch the ball drop?
If you decide to watch the ball drop in Times Square, you’ll be joining in a tradition that is over 100 years old. You don’t need a ticket for the event, which is free, but you will need to arrive well before midnight. Revelers will begin to gather in the area early in the day, and viewing areas will open at 3 p.m. Festivities will begin in the square at 6 p.m., when the ball is raised up a flagpole at One Times Square, formerly the headquarters of The Times, for which the neighborhood is named. The evening’s performers will include Diana Ross, B.o.B, Ciara and Robyn.
The best way to get to Times Square tonight will be by public transportation, according to the Times Square Alliance. There will be more frequent subway service overnight, but uptown trains will not stop at 50th Street on the No. 1 line, and neither uptown nor downtown trains will stop at 49th Street on the N/Q/R/W line from 11:45 a.m. until about 12:15 a.m. Some subway exits will be closed, including the 42nd Street exits from the Times Square-42nd Street station. You can access the viewing areas via entrances on Sixth and Eighth Avenues at West 45th, 49th, 52nd and 56th Streets.
How should I prepare for New Year’s Eve in Times Square?
Be ready for your bag to be searched as you enter the event. Backpacks, umbrellas, folding chairs, coolers, and other large items are not allowed, and alcohol is prohibited. Note also that will be no portable public restrooms and no licensed food or drink vendors in the area.
As for what to wear, “remember that you could be spending an extended period of time outdoors in potentially below-freezing conditions,” the Alliance advises. (Read more tips on how to prepare in the FAQ for the event.)
What about watching the ball drop from elsewhere?
If you prefer to watch the Times Square celebration from a distance, it will be broadcast live on nearly every major television network in the country, and on the Times Square website.
What else should I know?
This year’s celebration is unique because it marks the United States’ semiquincentennial, or 250th year. After the Times Square ball drops at midnight, at about 12:04 a.m., it will be re-illuminated in red, white and blue to honor the anniversary. A second, 2,000-pound cascade of tricolor confetti will also be launched into the air as Ray Charles’s rendition of “America the Beautiful” plays.
What will Zohran Mamdani be doing on New Year’s Eve?
The new mayor will be sworn in by Letitia James, the New York attorney general, in a private ceremony in the old City Hall subway station alongside his family members and advisers. On the afternoon of New Year’s Day, Senator Bernie Sanders will swear in Mr. Mamdani in a public ceremony on the steps of City Hall. Mr. Mamdani’s team predicts that 40,000 people will attend.
Weather
Expect a mostly cloudy day with temperatures around 34. Tonight, cloudy conditions will continue with a low near 26 and a chance of snow.
ALTERNATE-SIDE PARKING
In effect until Thursday (New Year’s Day).
The latest New York news
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How long could universal child care take? The cost and logistics associated with expanding child care, a goal of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, mean it could be years before families see relief. Officials signaled they would begin with 2-year-olds, possibly in neighborhoods filled with working-class families.
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A poem for Mamdani: Cornelius Eady, a National Book Award finalist, will honor Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani with an inaugural poem titled “Proof.” Eady described the poem as a tribute to New Yorkers whose concerns and ideas were not being heard by city leaders.
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She wrote of her cancer before she died: Tatiana Schlossberg, an environmental journalist and daughter of Caroline Kennedy, revealed in an essay, “A Battle With My Blood,” that she was battling leukemia. She died yesterday at age 35.
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Staying in: There has always been a camp of people who relish skipping the revelry associated with New Year’s Eve, opting instead to stay home or to do something low-key or unrelated.
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2025 Recap: The Times polled film experts in the newsroom to get a sense of the most notable movies of 2025. For some of these picks, it was the animation that reigned supreme; in others, it was the imaginative storytelling. And the podcast universe may be more expansive than ever, but here are nine that made us stop and listen.
METROPOLITAN diary
Two stops
Dear Diary:
It was a drizzly June night in 2001. I was a young magazine editor and had just enjoyed what I thought was a very blissful second date — dinner, drinks, fabulous conversation — with our technology consultant at a restaurant in Manhattan.
I lived in Williamsburg at the time, and my date lived near Murray Hill, so we grabbed a cab and headed south on Second Avenue.
“Just let me out here,” my date said to the cabby at the corner of 25th Street.
We said our goodbyes, quick and shy, knowing that we would see each other at work the next day. I was giddy and probably grinning with happiness and hope.
“Oh boy,” the cabby said, shaking his head as we drove toward Brooklyn. “Very bad.”
“What do you mean?” I asked in horror.
“He doesn’t want you to know exactly where he lives,” the cabby said. “Not a good sign.”
I spent the rest of the cab ride in shock, revisiting every moment of the date.
Happily, it turned out that my instinct about it being a great date was right, and the cabby was wrong. Twenty-four years later, my date that night is my husband, and I know that if your stop is first, it’s polite to get out so the cab can continue in a straight line to the next stop.
— Ingrid Spencer
Illustrated by Agnes Lee. Tell us your New York story here and read more Metropolitan Diary here.
Glad we could get together here. — C.B.
P.S. Here’s today’s Mini Crossword and Spelling Bee. You can find all our puzzles here.
Davaughnia Wilson and Ed Shanahan contributed to New York Today. You can reach the team at [email protected].
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Camille Baker is a Times reporter covering New York City and its surrounding areas.
The post How to Greet 2026 in New York City appeared first on New York Times.
