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Times Square 2015 New Year’s Eve Ball Design Revealed And It’s Gorgeous!

By Cheryl Phillips
Published on: 01:42 PST, Dec 26, 2014

The 2015 Time Square New Year’s Eve ball drop is just days away, and the gigantic Waterford Crystal New Year’s Eve Ball is ready to sparkle on the biggest night of the year in New York City. This year, the Times Square Alliance states that the 2015 ball features a “Gift of Fortitude” pattern, with the addition of 288 new Waterford crystals to the famous ball.

“For Times Square 2015, 288 of the Waterford triangles introduce the new Gift of Fortitude design utilizing diamond cuts on either side of a crystal pillar to represent the inner attributes of resolve, courage and spirit necessary to triumph over adversity.”

The new crystals were added to others that were added in previous years, including the most recent patterns — the “Gift of Imagination” in 2014, “Let There Be Peace” in 2013, and the 2012 “Let There Be Friendship” design.

AM New York reports that the Time Square Ball is the only fine-crystal outdoor installation in the world, with the director of design at Waterford Crystals, Jim O’Leary, stating that the ball is valued in excess of $1 million, but the “real value is in the participation in the event.”

The iconic ball that drops down from One Times Square on New Year’s Eve isn’t a lightweight. The Times Square Alliance states that the ball weighs 11,875 pounds and is 12 feet in diameter. Covered with a total of 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles, including the 2015 “Let There Be Friendship” crystals, the illumination on New Year’s Eve comes from over 32,000 red, green, blue, and white LEDS.

Crystals and LEDs didn’t always adorn the ball the helps ring in the new year. The very first Times Square Ball was made with iron and wood, and was covered with 100 25-watt bulbs. The ball weighed 700 pounds, measured 5 feet in diameter, and descended from a flagpole at one minute after midnight.

Not only is the Times Square Ball a big deal, the giant “2015” that lights up at midnight is equally important. NBC News reports that workers recently installed a seven-foot tall numeral “15” on the roof of the One Times Square building, attaching it to the existing “20” to make the number “2015” complete in time for the big New Year’s Eve celebration that will take place on December 31.

The Times Square Ball will drop down from the building during the final minute of 2014. When the clock strikes midnight, the “2015” will light up as everyone shouts, “Happy New Year!”

Watch the 2015 New Year’s Eve Times Square Ball drop on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rocking’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, featuring Taylor Swift and One Direction. The show airs on ABC starting at 10 p.m. on December 31.

[Images: Times Square Alliance, NBC]

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