Times Square Ball Drop Will Be Virtual On New Year’s Eve

Times Square

The Times Square Ball Drop on New Year’s Eve is going to be very different. It’s the latest event to go virtual, which means there won’t be the usual live crowds in New York that everyone is used to. Additionally, everyone will be social distancing into 2021.

Deadline reported the news that the Times Square event organizers decided now that there is no way the large crowds can happen on New Year’s Eve. Coronavirus figures around the world are increasing, with talks of many entering a second wave now. Flu season is just around the corner. There’s also the knowledge that a second wave of a pandemic is usually the worst. Many event organizers are taking preemptive measures before 2021 begins. The Times Square Ball Drop is one of those events.

Celebrating the New Year in a New Style

Naturally, everyone wants to see the New Year in style. There was so much hope about the turn of the decade and 2020 has turned out to be on the hardest years in our lifetimes. Many now hope that 2021 will offer some happiness, so people want to be able to celebrate it well. They want something to look forward to.

However, the Times Square Alliance president, Tim Tompkins, says that the event can’t happen the way it normally would. Instead of having everything happen live within the location, a lot of the offerings will be digital and virtual. There is going to be the chance for people around the world to join in with the experiences. However, there will still be some events happening within the area, but at a limited capacity.

Times Square Ball Drop Isn’t the Only Virtual Event

While it is disappointing, this is just the latest event to go virtual. New York had already announced that the Halloween Parade would be virtual. Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade will still go ahead, but there will be limitations put in place to keep people safe. New York Comic-Con has canceled its in-person event and is going online, similarly to the way San Diego Comic-Con 2020 went virtual. The aim is to prevent the large crowds that have been linked to the spread of the coronavirus.

What will be interesting is the lookback on the year. The New Year is usually a chance to look back at the major events and see what’s to come in the next year. Nobody really needs reminding of 2020. It’s been filled with bad news after bad news. Whether it’s the Australian wildfires, the coronavirus, or the Black Lives Matter protests, the year is pretty fresh on everyone’s minds.

The Times Square Alliance hasn’t said what the virtual event will entail exactly, but there will be some special guests. There will also be the iconic Ball Drop.

What do you think about the Times Square Ball Drop moving virtually? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Allie Johnson

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