My idea of the perfect New Year's Eve here in New York City involves dinner with friends at someone's apartment, plenty of Champagne, and good music. Some call that boring; I call it relaxing. You could not pay me to want to go to the freezing cold, ridiculously crowded scene that is Times Square on New Year's Eve.
Still, I follow the tradition that we always had growing up: Tune in for the final countdown so you can watch the ball drop and ring in the New Year with the rest of the country. Luckily, there's still a way to stream all the action and Ryan Seacrest's commentary without actually being there.
To watch on your phone or stream to your TV, download the free Times Square Official New Year's Eve Ball app. You can also watch live online at TimesSquareNYC.org and NewYearsEve.nyc. NBC will also host its traditional broadcast, an hour-long special with Carson Daly that will begin at 11:30 p.m. EST with performances from Alicia Keys and Blake Shelton. Over on ABC, Ryan Seacrest will host an epic five-and-a-half-hour-long special, starting at 8 p.m. EST with performances from Mariah Carey and DNCE.
Musical acts aside, the ball itself will be a glittering spectacle that you won't want to miss. This year's features 2,688 Waterford crystal triangles and over 32,000 LED lights in red, green, and white. Put on some sparkly earrings to up your own shine factor as you watch the craziness of 2016 come to an end. Cheers to a fresh start (and a new season of Game of Thrones!) in 2017.
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