NEW YORK, United States (Reuters) — It was the final test run before the big New Year’s Eve countdown in Times Square.
The organizers of New York City’s New Year’s Eve event stood atop One Times Square, counted down, flipped the switch, and launched the world famous Times Square crystal ball rise 130-feet (40 meters) into the air.
Come New Year’s Eve, more than one million people will come to Times Square to watch the crystal ball drop and mark the start of the new year.
“The test went well,” said Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance, one of the organizers of the event.
“You really want to make sure that everything’s right before the performance so this is our dress rehearsal, and the ball did brilliantly, if I may say so,” he added
This year’s star lineup for New Year’s Eve festivities in Times square includes, among others, Mariah Carey, The Revelers, and Gavin Degraw.
Police have stepped up security in Times Square ahead of the event.
The NYPD have said will be multiple layers of security all over the city, with 65 sanitation trucks and over 100 blocker police vehicles to be placed around the Times Square perimeter to keep the New Year’s Eve revelers safe.