Thousands of revelers braved cold temperatures to ring in the new year at the Crossroads of the World Wednesday night.
New Yorkers and tourists alike gathered in Times Square to watch the iconic ball drop and welcome 2026 under confetti-filled skies.
What You Need To Know
New Yorkers and tourists alike gathered in Times Square Wednesday night to watch the iconic ball drop and welcome 2026 under confetti-filled skies
Attendees NY1 spoke with ahead of the ball drop said they’d been waiting for hours to take part in the festivities
Elsewhere in Manhattan, at the former City Hall subway station, Zohran Mamdani officially became New York City’s mayor
The 3,000 pounds of colored papers tossed by hand from atop buildings included tens of thousands of handwritten wishes for the new year.
The Times Square Alliance collected the messages at its annual “Wishing Wall” throughout the month of December.
Attendees NY1 spoke with ahead of the ball drop said they’d been waiting for hours to take part in the festivities.
“I’ve been in line since 10 a.m., is when I got here, so, 11 hours,” one reveler said.
“It will be more than 12 hours if we see the ball drop, so at least 12 hours,” another said.
Elsewhere in Manhattan, at the former City Hall subway station, Zohran Mamdani officially became New York City’s mayor in the early moments of 2026.
New York Attorney General Letitia James administered the oath of office to Mamdani. He is set to be sworn in again by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in a City Hall ceremony on Thursday.
Here’s what you need to know about his inauguration — and here’s how to watch.