Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Times Square New Year’s Eve Confetti Gets Its Annual Test Drive
By
Danny Lewis
Published Dec 30, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Danny Lewis / Gothamist
View all 5
By
Danny Lewis
Published Dec 30, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
At the stroke of midnight every year during the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration, thousands of pounds of confetti are dumped onto the cheering crowd. But while the act might seem foolproof, thanks to skyscraper-created wind currents and the force of gravity, it never hurts to have a dry run.
So, with just a few days left before 2022, the big event’s organizers gathered Wednesday to test out this year’s batch of confetti.
“We test the confetti every year, and every year it’s different!” Jeffrey Straus, president of Countdown Entertainment and co-organizer of the New Year’s Eve extravaganza, said.
“The first test, the confetti was going in the wrong direction, down towards Herald Square," he said. "So we learned we had to throw the confetti down to make the confetti come up, and then it was perfect.”
For about 10 minutes, confetti filled the air as a few dozen onlookers watched and a dance troupe performed a routine for the cameras. Video billboards on the marquee of the Hard Rock Hotel blared greetings sponsored by Planet Fitness, hoping passersby “feel 'fitacular' in 2022.”
Despite the trappings of a normal holiday, there were plenty of reminders of the COVID-19 pandemic and the omicron surge. Everyone at the confetti test run was wearing a mask, as were most of the pedestrians walking through Times Square. And, just one block north, a line for a COVID-19 test site snaked past workers building the stage for the New Year’s Eve celebration.
The mixed feelings around the holiday were evident in the crowd that came out to watch the confetti test. Afterwards, Emily Cimaszewski and Paolo Copanong scooped up handfuls of confetti for their Instagram photos, but said they were staying away from the main celebrations in favor of a small gathering with friends at home.
“We're definitely not going to be coming to Times Square on actual New Year's Eve. It's a little chaotic and with COVID and everything. I think it's better to stay in,” Cimaszewski, 23, said.
Nearby stood 50-year-old Princenia Rakes, who had traveled from Clarksville, Indiana with her husband in hopes of being part among the 15,000 vaccinated and masked people allowed to watch the ball drop in person. Rakes said they wanted a change from last New Year’s, which they had celebrated at home by themselves.
“We just said ‘let's do something different and get out of the house.’ So that's why we came,” Rakes said.
The amount of confetti dropped Wednesday was just a small fraction of the 3,000 pounds that will blanket Times Square on Friday night, but it was still enough to cover much of the sidewalk along Broadway between West 43rd and 44th Streets. After the confetti had been dumped, the dance troupe disbanded, and the crowd dispersed, workers with the Times Square Alliance hit the street with brooms and vacuums for their own test drive at cleaning up after the crowd.
Juju Adger is looking forward to working on New Year's Eve.
Danny Lewis / Gothamist
One of them, Juju Adger, said it’s his first year working with the organization, and he’ll be helping tidy up Times Square after the big party as well.
“It's like, oh snap, I get the thrill of being on 42nd, you know? I love it,” Adger said. “So shout out to everybody with a new year's resolution, you know?”
Tagged
gravity
new york city
Times Square
2022
new year's eve
Danny Lewis
Danny Lewis is a former Gothamist and WNYC reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 16, 2026
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .