The world’s most famous crystal ball has been tested and ready to go.
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Television and radio personality Allison Hagendorf returns to host the live, commercial-free webcast for the fourth year.
Thanks to Times Square NYC, you can get the full New Year’s Eve Ball drop experience right on your computer, mobile phone or tablet.
Around 1 million people are expected to converge on Times Square for the annual New Year’s Eve celebration.
“The video reaffirms the message that New York City remains a top terrorist target”, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Stephen Davis writes in a statement, adding that police were not aware of a specific threat against the city. Once inside the security cordon, the public will see bomb-sniffing dogs and cops with radiation detectors, as well as some with long rifles, officials said.
The mayor said the new police criticial response command and strategic response group are trained to respond quickly in case of attacks at multiple locations.
A member of the New York City Police department’s Hercules team patrols in Times Square the day before New Year’s Eve on Wednesday.
Every year, thousands of people flock to Times Square to watch a giant, sparkly ball descend the flagpole at One Times Square seconds before the New Year arrives.
“New Years Eve is a time that actually is related to the Winter Solstice”, said Tim Tompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance.
The revelers were protected by an unprecedented number of police officers some in civilian clothes, many heavily armed as well as rigid security screenings. “You can’t live your life in fear”. This year’s headliner is Carrie Underwood, but there will be performances throughout the night by Luke Bryan, Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, One Direction, and many other popular music artists.
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Police officials have acknowledged that there were limits to what they could do to ensure security, especially outside the tightly controlled blocks at the heart of the celebration. When the clock strikes midnight and the ball drops, so will 1 ton of confetti – scraps of paper with well wishes for the upcoming year. We know how to do big events.
