With crowds of people expected to pack into Times Square for the festivities, “even the smallest details can’t be overlooked”, said Jeff Straus, president of Countdown Entertainment. That includes the small slips of paper that will flutter to the ground at the stroke of midnight on Sunday. An estimated 3,000 pounds (1,361kg) of confetti is trucked into Manhattan each year, then carried to rooftops of office buildings overlooking Times Square. Sitting behind the “2024” light display that arrived this week, the glittering crystal ball was set to undergo its own test drop on Saturday. “Like any fine Broadway show, we rehearse everything to make sure there are no problems for opening night,” said Tom Harris, the president of the Times Square Alliance.

Source: The Times December 30, 2023 10:25 UTC