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List of objects dropped on New Year's Eve

On New Year's Eve, many localities in the United States and elsewhere mark the beginning of a new year through the raising or lowering of an object. Many of these events are patterned on festivities that have been held at New York City's Times Square since 1908, where a large crystal ball is lowered down a pole atop One Times Square (beginning its descent at 11:59:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and concluding at midnight). In turn, the event was inspired by the time balls used by ship navigators in the 19th century to calibrate their chronometers.

Most drop events are scheduled so that they conclude at midnight in the hosting location's time zone. Some may hold a drop at an earlier time to appeal to families who do not wish to stay up for the later event, with the earlier event being held either alongside, or in lieu of one held at midnight. Occasionally, an earlier countdown may be promoted as celebrating the arrival of midnight in a different location with ties to the city (such as a sister city, or one that shares the same name)

Whilst some of these events use a ball in imitation of Times Square, many "drops" utilize objects that represent an aspect of local culture, geography, or history. Ball drops are by far the most common in, but not exclusive to, the United States.

List of drops or raises by time zone and location

UTC+08:00

Central European Time (UTC+01:00)

Spain

Atlantic Time Zone (UTC-04:00)

Bermuda

Puerto Rico

Eastern Time Zone (UTC-05:00)

Delaware

Florida

Note: The Florida Panhandle is in the Central Time Zone.
  • Brooksville, Florida: A tangerine was dropped during the countdown to midnight until 2009. The tangerine drop was an emblem of the citrus industry that once thrived in Brooksville.
  • Fort Lauderdale, Florida: As a symbol of the city's nickname "The Venice of America", an anchor is dropped.
  • Key West (Sloppy Joe's Bar): A six-foot queen conch shell is dropped by the local bar Sloppy Joe's.
  • Key West (Bourbon Street Pub): The Bourbon Street Pub, a local gay bar, drops a ruby slipper with a drag queen riding inside. The queen also serves as emcee for entertainment during the lead-up to the drop. The role was originally held by local drag performer Gary "Sushi" Marion, who retired from the event in 2023 after 25 editions (albeit leaving open the possibility of returning for the 50th anniversary, if possible). The event has continued with new queens annually, with the bar beginning to host a drag competition in 2025 to determine who will be the host.
  • Miami: The "Big Orange"—a neon sign of a cartoon orange wearing sunglasses—is raised up the side of the InterContinental Miami hotel overlooking Bayfront Park. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the drop was cancelled in 2020, and replaced by a digital projection in 2021 and 2022. The physical Big Orange was revived for 2023.
  • Orlando: The "Orange Ball" drop was previously hosted on Church Street in Downtown Orlando; in 2024, after Church Street Entertainment discontinued the event, a consortium of local restaurant and bar owners reached an agreement to purchase the ball and continue the event, re-locating it to Thornton Park.
  • Sarasota, Florida: A glowing pineapple is dropped at midnight to ring in the new year in southwest Florida.
  • Winter Haven, Florida (Legoland): A Lego brick is dropped at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Georgia

Indiana

  • Fort Wayne, Indiana: A ball drop debuted in 2016. The original drop was a projection which prompted a group of engineers to volunteer their time in creating a low-poly ball 8 ft. in diameter, covered in translucent acrylic plastic, and lit with over 380,000 lumens of LEDs. As of 2017, the ball was hoisted 80 feet over the corner of Baker and Ewing St., and lowered by crane.
  • Indianapolis: An Indy car was dropped from 2015 to 2018.
  • Kokomo, Indiana: A 70-pound aluminum ball with 34,000 lights is dropped during The Kokomo Downtown Association New Year's Eve Celebration.
  • Muncie, Indiana: A ball is dropped.
  • Vincennes, Indiana (near Terre Haute): The giant 18-foot, 500-pound steel-and-foam Watermelon Ball is raised 100 feet in the air during the 60-second countdown at midnight, then the replica releases 11 real locally grown watermelons.

Kentucky

Maine

  • Bangor, Maine: A beach ball covered in Christmas lights has been thrown off the top of a local restaurant since 2005.
  • Eastport, Maine: Since 2005, a sculpture of a sardine is lowered at the Tides Institute and Museum of Art, in a nod to the area's history in the herring fishing and canning industry. As a nod to New Brunswick, Canada on the other side of Passamaquoddy Bay, a maple leaf is also lowered at 11 p.m. ET to mark midnight Atlantic Time. Both sculptures were created by sculptor Bill Schaefer of East Machias.
  • Kennebunk, Maine: A wild blueberry ball has dropped from the town's First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church on Main Street since 2015.
  • Machias, Maine: A giant plastic lobster, holding a shovel and blueberries is lowered. It took place at the Machias location of Pat's Pizza during 2016.

Maryland

Michigan

  • Ann Arbor, Michigan: For 2014, a lit hockey puck was "dropped" in honor of the NHL Winter Classic game occurring on New Year's Day at Michigan Stadium.
  • Detroit: A sculpture known as the "D Burst" (which was adorned with a giant letter "D", in reference to the city's nickname "the D") was lowered at Campus Martius Park.
  • Grand Rapids: A six-foot-diameter steel ball is dropped for the WZZM Ball Drop in Rosa Parks Circle. The ball was built by GLC Metal Fabricators Inc. in Ludington with help from Harsco, covered in LED lights done by Tye's Signs in Scottville. A crane raises the ball 160 feet into the air before lowering it slowly into its position for the countdown.
  • Kalamazoo, Michigan: A recyclable ball has been dropped since 2009.
  • Ludington, Michigan: A 6' 5" diameter ball lit up with thousands of lights is lowered on a countdown to midnight.
  • Marquette, Michigan: A lighted ball is dropped from the Masonic Center along Washington St.
  • Negaunee, Michigan: Since 2023, a local Italian restaurant has lowered a large, baked meatball; the drop concludes in a pot of tomato sauce, after which the meatball is sliced and served to guests.
  • Royal Oak, Michigan: A ball is dropped at midnight.
  • Traverse City, Michigan: A cherry-themed ball is lowered as part of the "CherryT Ball Drop" (the event benefits a different charity annually), in honor of the region's prominent cherry-growing industry.
  • Wyandotte, Michigan: A 1,000 pound lit steel ball is dropped at both 9p.m. and midnight next to The Clock Tower downtown.

Minnesota

  • Saint Paul, Minnesota: In 2023, the Midway Saloon began lowering a giant fishing bobber for the "bobber drop"; the bobber aimed to be certified by Guinness World Records as the world's largest functioning fishing bobber, with a 6-foot diameter. For 2024, a larger bobber with a 7-foot diameter was introduced.

New Jersey

New York

New York holds many elaborate drops, particularly the ball drop at Times Square and at the Electric Tower in Buffalo.

  • Binghamton, New York: A 6-foot lighted ball is dropped.
  • Brocton: A 14-foot-diameter ball is dropped from a height of 165 feet in front of the Saint Stephen's Hotel at the Arches in downtown Brocton. This is reportedly the highest and largest ball drop in the country and the second highest in the world, according to the Dunkirk Observer.
  • Buffalo: A ball is lowered from the Electric Tower in Roosevelt Plaza; it has been promoted as the second-largest event of its kind in the United States behind Times Square, with an average attendance of around 40,000. For 2007, as part of a sponsorship by the Ford Motor Company, a Ford Edge SUV was also lowered alongside the ball (promoting that some of the vehicle's components were manufactured locally at Ford's Buffalo Stamping Plant).
  • Cheektowaga, New York: A ball is dropped during the day on New Year's Eve to offer an alternative for families.
  • Hamburg, New York: A ball is dropped.
  • New York City:
  • Times Square: In its most recent iteration since 2025–26, a ball covered in 5,280 Waterford Crystal panels has been lowered from a pole atop One Times Square. The Times Square Ball debuted in 1908 and was originally made of wood and previously metal; during the 1980s, the ball was decorated with red lightbulbs and a "stem" in honor of the city's nickname, "the Big Apple". The ball used to be lit by halogen lamps, but LED has been used since 2008. Since 2009, the ball has remained atop the tower year-round as a tourist attraction. A new design debuted for 2025–26 as part of the renovation of One Times Square. For a period in the 2010s, the ball was also lowered for midnight JST (10:00 a.m. ET) for a press event by then-sponsor Toshiba.
  • Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan: Beginning in 2024, the cooperative Prime Produce has lowered a "cosmic turtle" (a turtle sculpture decorated with multicolored lights) from its building at 424 West 54 Street, honoring its turtle rehabilitation project Earthlings NYC. The event is followed by an afterparty featuring screenings of works that had entered the public domain in the United States upon the beginning of the new year.
  • The ukulele duo Sonic Uke began holding a ukulele drop in 2004–05, with the event being held at a different New York location annually. The 2011 event was held in Greenwood Heights.
  • Niagara Falls, New York: A ten-foot Gibson Guitar is dropped from a specially designed 120-foot scaffold at the Hard Rock Cafe. It draws an anticipated crowd of 15,000 to 20,000.
  • North Tonawanda, New York: A ball is dropped as part of "New Year's on the Canal".
  • Orchard Park, New York: A ball is dropped.
  • Syracuse, New York: An orange ball was dropped for 2013 and 2014; the event was canceled after that and replaced with a midsummer celebration.
  • Watertown, New York: A beach ball is dropped at noon New Year's Eve, which kicks off the city's season-long winter celebration, Snowtown USA.
  • White Plains, New York: A ball drops from a crane on the corner of Main Street and Renaissance Square in downtown. The urban festival attracts 25,000 residents of Westchester County, New York.
  • Wilson, New York: Two balls are dropped, one at 9p.m. and the other at midnight.

North Carolina

Ohio

Ontario

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

Tennessee (Eastern)

Virginia

West Virginia

  • Bluefield, West Virginia: an illuminated lemon sculpture is dropped. This references the town's nickname "Nature's Air Conditioned City" and its tradition of giving out free lemonade when temperatures reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Welch, West Virginia: Welch holds the Coal Drop, when a large imitation piece of coal is dropped.

Central Time Zone (UTC-06:00)

Alabama

  • Mobile, Alabama: A 600-pound, lit Moon Pie is lowered from the RSA Tower in the "MoonPie Over Mobile" festivities. The event was spearheaded by Mobile councilman Fred Richardson, and first held in 2008. The festivities also include a Mardi Gras-styled parade, as Moon Pies are a traditional throw at Mardi Gras events in Mobile.
  • Fairhope, Alabama: A ball is dropped. The event was cancelled in 2010, but resumed in time to ring in 2011.
  • Wetumpka, Alabama: A meteorite is dropped in honor of the Wetumpka crater.
  • Dothan, Alabama: A peanut drop was held for 2017, honoring the city's title of "The Peanut Capital of the World"; the balloon-based design used for the peanut attracted viral attention due to its unintentionally-phallic shape.
  • Samson, Alabama: In 2022–23, the city introduced a drop using a tin of snuff tobacco. The drop alludes to the city's nickname of "Snuff City", stemming from an incident where a train containing a shipment of Rooster-brand snuff was parked at the town's depot for an extended period of time.

Arkansas

Florida Panhandle

Illinois

Indiana (Northwest & Southwest)

Kansas

  • Manhattan, Kansas: "The Little Apple", an apple-shaped aluminum ball, is lowered. The drop has most recently been held outside Kite's Bar & Grill.

Louisiana

Mississippi

  • Bay St. Louis: An oyster is dropped in front of a local restaurant.
  • Columbus: An illuminated 10-foot-wide-by-10-foot-tall lit aluminum ball is hoisted over College Street 100 feet high as part of the "Having a Ball Downtown Block Party". Festivities were broadcast live on WCBI until 2012.
  • Hattiesburg: A replica of the original "Hub-Sign" is lowered in Hattiesburg's historic downtown district. The original four-story "Hub-Sign" stood atop a downtown building for 35 years (1912 – c. 1947) and served as a symbol of Hattiesburg's heritage as the hub of the Gulf-South.
  • Jackson: , Jackson drops a magnolia.

Missouri

  • Kansas City, Missouri: Michael "The Doughboy" Maslak, the longest-tenured improviser at the ComedyCity improv theater, is draped in lights and dropped by members of the troupe.

Oklahoma

  • Tulsa: The Tulsa Ball Drop, held annually in Brookside, a district famous for its nightlife, features live music, performances, and a street party.

Tennessee (Central and Western)

  • Memphis: A mirrored ball is raised since 2020; previous to that, a guitar was dropped at the Hard Rock Cafe.
  • Nashville: An 80-foot Guitar Drop took place at Nashville's Hard Rock Cafe during Music City's Bash On Broadway. In 2011. the partnership ended with Hard Rock Cafe and the guitar was replaced by a 15-foot-tall music note. Since 2021–22, CBS has televised the event as part of a larger special, '.

Texas

  • Austin: Families in the Austin Woods neighborhood traditionally celebrate the new year with large illuminated new year's balls hung from trees, which are lowered at varying times during New Year's Eve. Downtown, a Lone Star was dropped until 2006, then replaced with a simple mirrored ball.
  • Houston: A star representing the Lone Star State was raised at midnight. No celebration was held in 2019. There is also a Noon Ball Drop at the Children's Museum of Houston for families to celebrate "New Year's Noon".
  • McAllen, Texas: A giant mirrored ball descends just before midnight. The first orb for 2008 was six feet in diameter, but in 2009 McAllen's big bash was expanded to include a bigger crowd (10,000 attended), a bigger party space and the bigger "Texas-sized" ball used until 2014. This event was last staged in 2014–15 and the event was axed in 2015 due to budgetary problems. An attempt was made to resurrect the event for 2017–18, but failed because of a lack of permit.
  • San Antonio: The elevator on the Tower of the Americas was raised until 2013.

Wisconsin

  • Plymouth, Wisconsin: Plymouth drops an 80-pound decorated cheese wedge, the newest Wisconsin cheese, from a 100 ft. ladder truck in a tribute to the region's dairy industry and dairy products. The Plymouth Arts Center hosts the annual "Build Your Own New Year's Party" next to the Creamery Building's parking lot where "The Big Cheese Drop" takes place.
  • Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin: A carp (real but dead) caught by local fishers and weighing between 25 and 30 pounds is lowered. A carp was chosen to represent the area's fishing industry and because the carp is considered one of the luckiest fish in Chinese culture. The carp, nicknamed "Lucky", is lowered onto a throne. Each "Lucky" has a tree planted where it is buried with a commemorative plaque listing the carp's name and year.
  • Sister Bay, Wisconsin: A cherry-shaped ball is lowered at midnight.

Mountain Time Zone (UTC-07:00)

Arizona

  • Flagstaff, Arizona: A glowing pine cone is dropped from the balcony of Weatherford hotel.
  • Tempe, Arizona: An illuminated sunburst was dropped while the Fiesta Bowl Block Party and Parade was sponsored by Sunkist, but replaced by a tortilla chip when Tostitos became the sponsor of the bowl. The party is 10 blocks long and four blocks wide, with two fireworks shows (10p.m. and midnight).
  • Show Low, Arizona: A deuce of clubs (2♣) debuted in 2011–12. The card, which is the namesake of the main road through Show Low, is, according to legend, the origin of the town's name (the town's founders allegedly derived the name "show low" from a game of poker where the winner showed a 2♣, the lowest card in the deck).
  • Tucson, Arizona: Starting in 2014, a large replica taco was dropped from the roof of the Hotel Congress
  • Prescott, Arizona: A boot has been dropped since 2010–11; the drop is held at both 10 p.m. and midnight for the Eastern and Mountain time zones respectively.
  • Yuma, Arizona: In 2018, the city introduced the "Iceberg Drop", lowering a giant, illuminated lettuce. The drop is held at both 10 p.m. and midnight for the Eastern and Mountain time zones respectively.

Idaho

  • Boise, Idaho: Since 2013, a giant potato was dropped from the US Bank building in downtown Boise. For 2016, the drop moved to the Idaho State Capitol building, and the organizers successfully crowdfunded a new "Glowtato" with internal lighting. KTVB televises the festivities most years.
  • Emmett, Idaho: Since 2016, a cherry has been raised.
  • Rupert, Idaho: A sugar beet named Crystal has been dropped since 2019.
  • Twin Falls, Idaho: Since 2002, a metal ball, bought at auction for $14 by Dave Woodhead, owner of the former bar Woody's, has been dropped from a pair of grain elevators. The low-budget event attracted a cult following: later editions also switched from a manual pulley to using a 1961 Ford Econoline truck to lower the ball. Following the lease of the bar to new owners, the event was placed on hiatus for 2014, but returned for 2015 in partnership with the new owners. Woodhead acknowledged the drop's inclusion on lists of New Year's Eve drops on Mental Floss and Wikipedia as a sign of notoriety for the event.

New Mexico

Wyoming

Pacific Time Zone (UTC-08:00)

California

Nevada

Oregon

  • La Grande, Oregon: Since 2015, a ball has been lowered atop the John Howard Building in downtown La Grande, accompanied by a larger block party.
  • Milwaukie, Oregon: Since 2023, the city has lowered an illuminated bing cherry at 9 p.m. PT (midnight ET), in honor of the city being where the fruit was first cultivated.

Washington

See also

References

External links