New Year's Eve in New York City is back!
N.Y.C. Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Times Square Alliance announced during a press conference on Tuesday that Times Square will be reopened to the public this December for the 2022 New Year's Eve ball drop celebration. This marks the first time in two years that the public will be present for the annual festivities, as last year's celebration was only open to a few first responders and medical personnel amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"Part of what's great about our recovery is when we bring back great New York City traditions," de Blasio said during a media briefing on Tuesday. "We love New Year's Eve in Times Square. We want it to be big, we want it to be full of life, we want it to be a great New York celebration." "Guess what everyone? A big, strong, full-strength celebration: it's coming back," he continued. "Hundreds of thousands of people there to celebrate. We can finally get back together again. It's going to be amazing, it's going to be a joy for this city. Now let's do it the right way, let's do it the safe way."
For those who are interested in attending the celebration, several COVID precautions will be in place, including mandatory vaccinations for all guests, ages 5 and up. "We want to welcome all those hundreds of thousands of folks, but everyone needs to be vaccinated. All you need to do is have that proof of vaccination and a valid photo ID and you are in," de Blasio explained. "Join the proud, join the joy, join a historic moment as New York City provides further evidence to the world that we are 100% back."
Tom Harris, the President of Times Square Alliance, also spoke during the press conference and noted that those who are unable to get vaccinated for a disability or medical reason will be required to show proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours. "Those under 5 must be accompanied by a vaccinated adult and anyone unable to be vaccinated must wear a mask who's able to do so," he added. "Our success is largely due to people being vaccinated and feeling confident that they can safely return to our new normal... Our goal is to have a safe event for our cast, our crew, and for the crowds."
The New Year's Eve tradition in Times Square dates back to 1904 when the owners of One Times Square began to hold rooftop celebrations to ring in the New Year, according to Times Square's website. The first Ball Lowering celebration occurred three years later in 1907. Since then, millions have flocked to Times Square each year on Dec. 31 to be part of the city celebrations. A complete schedule of the events and performances for the 2022 celebration has not yet been released, but officials say it will be updated later in December, per their website. As always, the celebrations will be streamed online, on Times Square's social media and on television.
Source: people.com
