Times Square Is a Traditional New Year's Eve Party

New Year's Eve is a special time of year when everyone celebrates new beginnings and there aren't many more incredible places to be when the clock strikes 12 than New York.

Times Square holds a traditional New Year's Eve party where thousands of people line the streets to ring in the year together and one of the most iconic parts of the event is the lighting of the Times Square ball.

Every party at 11:59 pm EST, the Times Square ball is lowered 43 metres down a flagpole before resting to a standstill at midnight to signal the start of a new year.

The city's first ball drop in Times Square took place in 1907.

To make the celebration extra special this year, the organisers commissioned the ball to be lit by 32,256 LED light bulbs.

According to a recent survey, almost 60 per cent of people agree that light plays an important role in setting the right mood for a special occasion such as New Year's Eve.

In addition, 60 per cent of those surveyed noted that lighting is important at being able to improve someone's overall mood.

Indeed, we at Scotlight recommended that people start to think about redesigning their homes this winter because as the colder, darker months set in, people can sometimes feel a little down in the dumps and redecorating could be just the ticket to lift your spirits.

Chief executive officer of lamps, lighting electronics and controls at Philips Ed Crawford commented: "The Times Square Ball is an icon for the world to see, but more important, it is a real-world example of how innovation can enhance our lives while creating a more sustainable community."

This follows the widespread use of LED lights in the illumination of the iconic Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Centre in New York and the new LED lighting system used on the tower of the Empire State Building.