Diana Ross will be one of the stars of the New Year’s Eve party in Times Square (New York), where the traditional concerts will be followed by a tribute to the U.S. for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, amid waves of confetti and very cold.
The 81-year-old dubbed ‘Queen of Motown’ is the star of the celebration in the heart of Manhattan, which will also feature Swedish pop singer Robyn, country standard-bearers Maren Morris and Little Big Town, rapper B-o.B. and young Mexican regional sensation Xavi, among others.
The party at the famous crossroads to welcome the new year is one of the city’s major tourist attractions and attracts crowds, so the authorities shield the center hours before to avoid incidents and long lines form to access the square full of screens.
The sub-zero temperatures are no obstacle for tens of thousands of people who begin to enter the enclosure from three o’clock in the afternoon despite harsh conditions, as there are no public toilets or allowed to bring chairs or umbrellas, and if you leave your place you risk losing it.
The climax is the 60 seconds before midnight, when the famous crystal ball descends the pole that crowns one of the skyscrapers, after which all the lights go out and a sign with the numbers of the coming year is illuminated while more than a ton of confetti falls.
Diana Ross will shine at 81 years of age
As a curiosity, the ball that will descend today, the ninth since the tradition began in 1907, is new and very different from the wooden and metal sphere that was used at the beginning, because for the first time it has round crystals, more than 5,000, and an interactive system for its illumination.
This year will also include a small tribute to the USA as a kick-off to its 250th anniversary, with a second wave of confetti in the colors of the American flag and the broadcast of the anthem ‘America the Beautiful’ sung by Ray Charles.
The outgoing mayor, Democrat Eric Adams, will be in charge of pressing the button that executes the descent of the crystal ball, closing a mandate that began precisely with his investiture in that same celebration.
His successor, also a Democrat, Zohran Mamdani, will be sworn in at a private ceremony.
The NYPD said Tuesday that there are no specific threats against the event, which is the most complex operation of the year, but has increased security, with a greater deployment of troops in the city and a reinforcement in the review of attendees within the venue itself.
Police chief Jessica Tisch explained that the changes are due to internal data from the authorities and “what we have seen around the world in terms of terrorism”. The last incident was in 2023, reported Agencia EFE, when a man assaulted three police officers with a machete near the security perimeter.
Find out more at ‘QueOnnda.com’.
