STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Despite a scaled-back New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square, prompted by concerns surrounded by the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) surge, around 15,000 people are expected to gather for this year’s ball drop in New York City — and there will be plenty of entertainment to help ring in 2022.
This year’s Times Square New Year’s Eve event lineup will feature live performances by KT Tunstall, LL Cool J, Chlöe, Journey and more.
Actor and TV star Jonathan Bennett will return to host the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration on Friday. This year, Bennett will be joined by Jeremy Hassell, an experienced live event and celebrity interview host.
The globally watched event in Times Square will begin at 6 p.m. with the lighting and raising of the New Year’s Eve Ball atop One Times Square. The official opening ceremony will feature a Chinese cultural dance performance from Henan, China, presented by the Sino-American Friendship Association.
There will also be hourly countdowns leading to the iconic ball drop.
The world-wide celebration happening in Times Square will build in excitement with activities and appearances that will happen throughout the evening, according to Times Square New Year’s Eve, Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment — co-organizers of the event.
Times Square has been the center of international attention on New Year’s Eve for 117 years, ever since the owners of One Times Square began in 1904 to conduct rooftop celebrations to greet the New Year. The first Ball Lowering celebration occurred in 1907. This tradition has been a universal symbol of welcoming the New Year ever since.
This year, the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration will welcome revelers back to Times Square, but there will be a limit of 15,000 visitors. Proof of full vaccination and valid photo identification are required, and in-person attendees must wear a mask.
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
- LL Cool J performs on ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.”
- Chlöe performs on ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.”
- Journey performs on ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest”
- Karol G performs on ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest”
- KT Tunstall performs her global chart-topping songs “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” and “Suddenly I See”, along with Tom Petty’s classic, “I Won’t Back Down”, and John Lennon’s “Imagine” just before the Ball Drop at midnight
- Liza Koshy performs a fitacular dance performance presented by Planet Fitness.
- The USO Show Troupe performs “Stand by You”, “Empire State of Mind” and “A Military Salute” to honor the U.S. Armed Forces.
- The Sino-American Friendship Association (“SAFA”) presents a Chinese cultural dance performance from Henan, China.
- The Associated Press, the world’s oldest and largest news gathering organization, will present their year-in-review news reel highlighting some of the most memorable events of 2021.
- New York City Football Club (NYCFC) – the only Major League Soccer team based in the five boroughs just won its first-ever MLS Cup championship and will join for the 11 p.m. Hourly Countdown with the highly coveted MLS Cup trophy.
HOW TO WATCH
The Times Square 2022 Webcast will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday.
You can stream the live commercial-free webcast on multiple websites, including TimesSquareNYC.org, NewYearsEve.nyc, LiveStream.com/2022 and TimesSquareBall.net.
Viewers can also tune in on numerous broadcast networks that will also be airing elements of the Times Square celebration, including ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” and CNN’s “New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen.”
Additionally, this is the second year Jamestown, owner of One Times Square, has brought back its virtual New Year’s Eve experience, where anyone can visit www.VNYE.com to join and celebrate New Year’s Eve in the Times Square meta verse. You can enter the virtual world of Time Square now and play exclusive games to start the festivities early. On Friday, viewers can tune into the site for a live broadcast, where they can choose from multiple camera feeds to direct their own New Year’s Eve show.