Seasonal & Holidays
Watch Live: Times Square New Year's Eve Ball Drop 2021
Times Square will be nearly empty for this year's ball drop, but millions will likely tune in online. Here's how to watch for free.
NEW YORK CITY — For the first time in more than a century, crowds will not flock to Times Square to ring in the new year on Dec. 31. But it will be easy to watch the ball drop from the safety and comfort of your own home — here's how.
Watch live online
The easiest way to watch will be to tune into the free livestream from Times Square. The commercial-free webcast will air live on the Times Square website starting at 6 p.m. Eastern on Thursday — and we've embedded it below for your convenience.
Watch New Year's Eve on TV
The other way to watch will be on TV: the annual live telecast, "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2021," will air live from Times Square on ABC, starting at 8 p.m. ET.
Find out what's happening in Midtown-Hell's Kitchenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Jennifer Lopez will be the headline performer, along with other stars including Billy Porter, Cyndi Lauper and Jimmie Allen. Seacrest, who is hosting for the 16th consecutive year, will be joined by Porter and actress Lucy Hale.
Can I try to show up anyway?
Not unless you want to run into a roadblock.
Find out what's happening in Midtown-Hell's Kitchenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Despite the lack of crowds. Vehicle traffic from 45th through 48th streets in Times Square will be closed by the early morning of Dec. 31. By 3 p.m., 42nd through 49th streets between Sixth and Eighth avenues will all be closed. There will be no parking between 41st and 49th streets.
This #NewYearsEve will be unlike any in the past due to COVID-19. Please take note of these street closures that will be in place in the days leading up to the ball drop, and know that there will be no pedestrians or spectators allowed in Times Square this year. pic.twitter.com/Pbom4vA5uf
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 28, 2020
Subway access will also be limited; the 42nd Street entrances to the Times Square subway station will close around noon. Riders can use the 41st Street entrances instead.
The 47th Street entrance to the 49th Street N/R/W station will close at midnight, and the south side entrance at 49th Street will close around noon.
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