Photo taken from www.timessquarebid.org
New Years Eve will be celebrated in its usual fashion this year, as the nation embraces a patriotic mindset. With pyrotechnics and entertainment famous for 97 years, New York City will lead the world once again in welcoming the New Year with its Times Square celebration.
Upholding the traditions of past years, Times Square 2002 will feature the descent of the New Years Eve Ball from atop the flagpole of One Times Square at midnight. A universal symbol of welcoming the start of a new year since 1907, when the first ball drop took place, the event will be accompanied by enhanced pyrotechnics and live entertainment throughout the night, according to the official Times Square website.
Last year, over 700,000 live viewers crowded the streets of New York City to witness the world-renowned event. This year, however, the festivities will symbolize a greater significance, as Ground Zero of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will become Ground Zero for the world’s largest New Years celebration. Despite the recent tragedy, however, the Times Square BID and Countdown Entertainment organizations, the sanctioning bodies of the celebration, expect a larger crowd than the record-breaking millennium event two years ago.
Interesting Fact:
The Ball is covered with a total of 504 Waterford crystal triangles: 72 crystal triangles feature the new “Hope for Abundance” design and 432 crystal triangles feature the “Star of Hope” design. Triangles vary in size, and range in length from 4 3/4 inches to 5 3/4 inches per side.
Although attendance is expected to set a new high, questions concerning security linger.
“It’s wonderful that the city has enough confidence to rebuild after such a disaster and host the world’s largest New Years celebration,” sophomore Linsey Miriglianni said. “But I still think that a lot of people will stay home and watch on television instead of attending in person. It just seems like the perfect target for another tragedy.”
Senior Amanda Campbell, who has attended the event in past years, agrees that it is important to continue with tradition, but that people are still weary of what the future holds.
“Although America is doing its best to bounce back after the Sept. 11 attacks, I find it hard to believe that a record amount of people will show up in Times Square for New Years,” Campbell said.
Junior Kat Pirrone, who was among the crowd at the 1995 Times Square New Years jamboree, thinks that the crowd will be as large as expected even with the worries of other terrorist attacks.
“In a way, it’s like the millennium celebration,” Pirrone said. “The world was supposed to end then, but more people showed up than ever before.
“More people will want to be there whether it’s going to be a good or bad experience. Either way, it will only happen once in a lifetime that people will be able to say ‘I was at Times Square for New Years a few months after the Sept. 11 attacks and survived,” Pirrone continued.
New Years Eve in Times Square will be carried out as in years past, but with improved entertainment and sights as America pushes towards a fresh start with a new year.
