Why the New Year’s Eve Ball Will Drop Twice in Times Square to Ring in 2026

Every year, to ring in the New Year, a celebration is held at the One Times Square building in New York City’s Times Square. During the event, the Constellation Ball is raised to the top of the flagpole, usually around 6 pm on New Year’s Eve, and later makes its descent 60 seconds before the clock strikes midnight.

In those final 10 seconds, you can usually hear the crowd anxiously counting down until it reaches 12 a.m. and the new year officially begins. While this is a familiar yearly tradition, the countdown to 2026 is going to look a little different. Because this year, the ball isn’t just dropping once, but twice. Here’s when and why it’s happening.

There will be two New Year’s Eve ball drops during the annual Times Square celebration to ring in 2026. The first will mark the traditional countdown to the new year, while the second will celebrate America turning 250. And it's being done with the help of America250, a nonpartisan entity established by Congress.

America250 is helping not only to ring in 2026 but also to celebrate 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed, which established the American colonies as a new, independent nation in 1776. America250 has partnered with One Times Square and the Times Square Alliance, which organizes the traditional annual ball drop, to host a second drop celebrating America.

“America250 will kick off the Semiquincentennial year on New Year’s Eve in Times Square — the most watched celebration on the planet — signaling that the largest and most inspiring celebration and commemoration in our nation’s history is underway in 2026,” said Rosie Rios, Chair of America250, in a press release shared on the official One Times Square website. She added, “Our goal is to inspire all 350 million Americans to join in this moment to celebrate our country.”

The second ball drop for 2026 will happen at 12:04 a.m. EST. Unlike the usual colors of the first ball, the second will feature red, white, and blue in an America250 design and will “rise above the illuminated '2026' numerals,” according to the press release. To make the moment even more exciting, organizers will release 2,000 pounds of red, white, and blue confetti and include a pyro finale set to Ray Charles’s rendition of “America the Beautiful.”

Needless to say, the crowd better be prepared as they’ll be showered not only with confetti from the traditional New Year’s Eve ball drop but also with 2,000 pounds for the celebration of America turning 250.

But that’s not the end of the road for the iconic ball in 2026 because America250 is also coming back to Times Square on July 3, 2026, for a Fourth of July ball drop. Obviously, this will be a historic moment as it marks the first time the ball drops outside of New Year’s Eve. So, in all actuality, Times Square will see three ball drops in 2026!