Watch live as Times Square does New Year's Eve ball test

Putting on a show as grand as the Times Square Ball Drop in New York City is quite the challenge. To ensure things run smoothly ahead of the major celebrations, organizers of the New Year's Eve festivities run a few checks, including making sure the iconic ball is ready for its big drop.

Described as the "centerpiece" of the annual countdown celebration on Dec. 31, the new and updated Constellation Ball at Times Square, unveiled last month on Nov. 24, will be illuminated and sent up the 139-foot pole atop One Times Square on Tuesday, Dec. 30 in preparation for the big night.

Earlier, on Monday, Dec. 29, multicolored confetti was dropped from the Planet Fitness Center Stage at Times Square in New York in preparation for the release of 3,000 pounds of confetti at midnight on New Year’s Eve. The confetti is dropped to check its air worthiness.

Watch Times Square test out ball drop live ahead of NYE 2026

Organizers will run through a New Year's Eve ball test starting 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 30. Watch the livestream of the event at the top of this story.

New Year's Eve celebrations at Times Square have been held for 122 years, "ever since the owners of One Times Square began in 1904 to conduct rooftop celebrations to greet the New Year," Times Square's website says.

In addition to its famous ball drop, Times Square will also drop 3,000 pounds of confetti with people's New Year wishes on it at midnight, while musical performances by artists including B.o.B, Tones and I, Xavi, Robyn and Diana Ross will entertain attendees.

What time are the New Year celebrations at Times Square?

The Times Square New Year's Eve celebrations will kick off at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 31, and the New Year's Eve ball will be raised to the top of the pole at One Times Square. At exactly 11:59 p.m. ET, the ball will make its 60-second descent down the flagpole to signal the start of the new year.

This year's Constellation Ball is ninth iteration of the ball since its debut in 1907 and the largest one yet, measuring 12.5 feet in diameter and weighing 12,350 pounds. With 5,280 Waterford crystals and LED light pucks, the ball features nearly double the number of crystals as the previous ball, according to a One Times Square news release.

This year, the ball is also expected to mark America’s 250th anniversary. America250 announced on Dec. 27 the "surprise second post-midnight moment" and said the ball will be relit with an America250 design, rising above the illuminated "2026" numerals at approximately 12:04 a.m. ET.

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How to watch the (for real) Times Square ball drop

While multiple outlets, including CNN, ABC and CBS will be airing the New Year's Eve celebrations live on their TV channels and streaming platforms, audiences can also catch the live webcast on Times Square's official website starting 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 31.

"Enjoy commercial-free, webcast coverage of the festivities leading up to the Ball Drop at midnight, including backstage access, behind-the-scenes stories and interviews with performers and other celebrities," Times Square says on their website.

A livestream with open captions and American Sign Language interpretation will also be available on YouTube.

USA TODAY will also stream the ball drop live on New Year's Eve.

Contributing: Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.