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Times Square revelers ring in New Year
An estimated 1 million people celebrated the New Year in New York City’s Times Square overnight, and there appeared to be no major incidents, authorities said.
The New York Police Department’s public information office said its initial assessment turned up no major responses. The possibility was a concern after a man allegedly attacked three officers with a machete outside a Times Square security checkpoint last year.
More than 1,000 officers were assigned to the event, and they were assisted by drones that beamed real-time video to their smartphones in 5K quality, police said.
The number of arrests in and around Times Square was not yet available, the public information office said.
Celebrants rang in 2024 with optimism by writing their wishes on small notes via the NYE Wishing Wall. Thousands if not millions of the colorful notes were then released as confetti when the ball dropped at midnight.
Where to watch the New Year’s Eve 2023 ball drop and festive performances
It’ll soon be time to hold your loved ones, chant the final countdown and ring in 2024 while watching with the iconic Times Square ball drop.
No matter where you welcome the new year — on the dance floor, under the mistletoe or on the couch — here’s where to watch the countdown festivities.
This year, NBC won’t carry national New Year’s Eve programming as the holiday falls on a Sunday, when “Sunday Night Football” airs, but other networks will air spectacles that include rock star performances and show celebrations across the country.
Read the full story here.
New Year’s Wishes: Messages of hope written on Times Square confetti set to fall at midnight
When the ball drops, thousands if not millions of written life goals will help bring purpose to 2024 when they flutter in the air on Post-it-style notes that will double as Times Square confetti.
The NYE Wishing Wall, launched one month ahead of the big night, beckoned visitors to New York City to write down their wishes for the new year. Handwritten notes included “My wish is to be a Broadway star” and “My wish is for my mom to have a blessed life.”
Those dreams hit the air at midnight.
NYPD hopes drones will help it keep NYE party safe
New York police are deploying drones over Times Square amid New Year’s Eve celebrations, hoping the evolving technology could help identify potential attackers and forecast crowd movement.
Assistant Police Commissioner Kaz Daughtry gave a tour of three of the drones being used tonight to monitor Times Square celebrants, saying the devices bring state-of-the-art technology, including real-time 5K monitoring, to the effort to keep New Year’s Eve safe.
Officers on the ground can tune in to drone video via smartphone, Daughtry said, while the aerial robots scan the 1 million-attendee event to detect anomalies in the crowd, medical emergencies and crowd movement.
“We can look for any type of anomalies in the crowd, any suspicious people, any suspicious person,” he said.
The American Civil Liberties Union has long expressed concerns that drones can be used to violate privacy rights and track people, such as police critics, whose messages authorities don’t necessarily want to celebrate.
The police department first used drones to help monitor New Year’s Eve celebrations in 2019, after its planned deployment in 2018 was canceled by rain.
New Year’s Eve celebrations roll across Asia, but wars cast a shadow on the start of 2024
Revelers across Asia celebrated the countdown to midnight on New Year’s Eve with fireworks and brightly lit signs — offering a hopeful start to 2024 for some, even as the globe’s ongoing conflicts raised security concerns and led to muted or even canceled festivities.
As the clock struck midnight in Australia, more than 1 million people — a number equivalent to 1 in 5 of the city’s residents — watched a 12-minute fireworks display focused on the Sydney Harbor Bridge from the shore and from boats in the harbor.
“It’s total madness,” said German tourist Janna Thomas, who had waited in line since 7:30 a.m. to secure a prime waterfront location in the Sydney Botanic Garden.
Organizers worldwide have readied for large-scale celebrations despite the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. In New York City, where there have been near-daily protests sparked by the Israel-Hamas war, officials and party organizers said they were prepared to ensure the safety of tens of thousands of revelers who will flood Times Square in the heart of midtown Manhattan.
Times Square revelers will see changes at New Year’s Eve celebration
Crowds making their annual pilgrimage to New York City’s Time Square tonight in hope of watching the ball drop at midnight can expect some changes as authorities aim to keep disruptions to a minimum.
“We’re expanding our zone from Sixth Avenue and Eighth Avenue, from 41st Street to 57th Street,” New York police Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said at a briefing Friday. “That gives us a buffer zone so we can move quickly if we have to like last year, and also it gives us a space between protesters not to come in here.”
There are no specific threats to this year’s event, but Maddrey noted that police are staffing more than a thousand officers for the celebration, including the usual K-9 and counterterrorism units typically on hand. Mayor Eric Adams praised the city’s handling of tensions in recent weeks, particularly with regard to maintaining peaceful protests.
“We have witnessed that there’s a small number of people who are trying to embed themselves in some of the protests and bring about disruption,” Adams said. “It’s not going to be tolerated. It’s not going to be accepted.”
Security measures ramping up in Times Square ahead of New Year’s Eve
PHOTOS: Australia kicks off celebrations
A spectacular fireworks display at Sydney Harbor Bridge helped kick off New Year’s Eve celebrations. Throngs of revelers also gathered in parts of China and India.
Where to watch the New Year’s Eve 2023 ball drop and festive performances
It’ll soon be time to hold your loved ones, chant the final countdown and ring in 2024 while watching with the iconic Times Square ball drop.
No matter where you welcome the new year — on the dance floor, under the mistletoe or on the couch — here’s where to watch the countdown festivities.
This year, NBC won’t carry national New Year’s Eve programming as the holiday falls on a Sunday, when “Sunday Night Football” airs, but other networks will air spectacles that include rock star performances and show celebrations across the country.
Read the full lineup here.
PHOTOS: Revelers getting ready to party
Armend Nimani / AFP via Getty Images
New Year’s Eve celebrations prompt heightened security
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