The ball that drops in Times Square on New Year’s Eve is — say it with us now — going green. This year, the 100th anniversary of the tradition, the fifth iteration of the ball will have an aluminum skeleton and be lit by energy-efficient LED lights. With 16 times as many lights, it will use half the wattage of the last ball. That’s the power equivalent of 10 toasters toasting for six hours, for the curious. Says project lighting designer Christine Hope, “People are going to be blown away by the variety and the saturation of colors.” We’d advise staking out your spot now.
