New Waterford Crystals have joined more than 2,000 sparkling triangles covering the ball that falls above Times Square in New York City each year, days before the countdown to 2022.
“We’re here today to replace 192 of the Waterford Crystal Triangles on that ball behind me with a new design, ‘The Gift of Wisdom’,” Jeffrey Strauss, president of Countdown Entertainment, said Monday.
“It’s represented by a wheel with these petals of knowledge always pushing forward.”
Workers install Waterford Crystal Triangles on the Times Square New Years Eve Ball on the rooftop of One Times Square in Manhattan, New York, United States (REUTERS / Jeenah Moon)
Each year, the geodesic sphere, which measures 12 feet in diameter and weighs 11,875 pounds, receives 192 new crystal facets that represent themes for the new year such as happiness, goodwill, harmony, serenity, kindness and wonder. The ball is studded with 2,688 intricate crystal panels varying in length from 4-3 / 4 inches to 5-3 / 4 inches.
For the second year in a row, New Years Eve in Times Square will be a scaled-down event, with organizers encouraging spectators to attend the virtual show. In-person attendance, typically around 60,000 before the pandemic, will be capped at 15,000 due to the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
A worker holds a Waterford Crystal Triangle on the Times Square New Years Eve Ball. REUTERS / Jeenah Moon
But the global audience is expected to remain massive.
“We’re going to have over a billion revelers around the world who will join us on TV and on the Internet to celebrate,” Strauss said. “This is the time when we all come together, even if it’s only for 60 seconds as we count down to 2022.”
Stars slated for this year’s celebration include KT Tunstall, LL Cool J, Journey and Chloe.