Times Square New Year's Eve ball gets bow tie makeover
NEW YORK - The countdown is almost on to the New Year, with just five days left in 2023.
This year, the iconic Times Square New Year's Eve ball has gotten a bit of a makeover.
Organizers unveiled a new bow tie lighting pattern that will sparkle over Times Square. The pattern is made from two triangles shining together to make the shape. If you didn't know, Times Square was once known as "the bow tie."
The new design ties Times Square to this year's sponsor partner the Fontainebleau, which just opened a new hotel in Las Vegas. The brand is also celebrating the 70th anniversary of its Miami Beach resort.
"The original architect Morris Lapidus is who was known for wearing bow ties and putting bow ties in the floor of our lobby in Miami Beach, which we've carried through in the design of our new hotel in Las Vegas which just launched," explained Fontainebleau Development president Brett Mufson.
The connection comes through even clearer with a planned performance by Paul Anka, famous for his own classic hits like "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" and "Lonely Boy", and for writing Frank Sinatra's signature song "My Way".
"I was inspired at the Fontainebleau in the 60s, writing for Sinatra," Anka said, "redoing it indigenous to hopefully the event and then doing John Lennon's song "Imagine", it's a big kick."
The 82-year-old just finished a world tour and said even after decades of performing, this opportunity still feels fresh.
"To come here and do what I'm going to do," Anka said, "I don't think I'll have felt anything like this other than maybe the first time I stood here in New York for the Ed Sullivan show in Madison Square Garden way back when when I was 12 years old."
Anka is ready to receive the energy of the crowd, along with fellow performers Flo Rida, Megan The Stallion, LL Cool J and more. So are security forces.
The Times Square Alliance expects one million people to pack in to watch the ball descend to mark the year's end, along with an additional billion tuning in beyond the boundaries.
"New Year's is a time to reflect on the past, enjoy the present and look forward to the future," said Times Square Alliance president Tom Harris. "I'm always looking forward to a better year next year, and there's nowhere better to do that than Times Square on New Year's Eve."
This is expected to be the biggest gathering since 2019. Times Square recently reported its 100 millionth visitor for the year, but business is still down about 15% compared to pre-pandemic numbers.
"We're hoping to have more people come back to work," Harris said about 2024. "This work from home stuff is getting a little bit old so we want to welcome people back to Times Square to reconnect."
The New Year's Eve ball is 12 feet in diameter and weighs nearly 12,000 pounds.
Tuesday, organizers hoisted the numerals for "2024" into place.