www.broadwayworld.com: With January 1, 2021 now 100 days away, the organizers of the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square provided a preliminary teaser of how the event will change in response to the changes and challenges of 2020: a virtually enhanced celebration that brings Times Square and The Ball to you digitally no matter where you are, scaled-back and socially-distanced live elements still to be determined, and an extremely limited group of in-person honorees, socially distanced, who will reflect the themes, challenges and inspirations of 2020.
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My parents and I actually wanted to do 2020-2021 News Years in New York this year. We’ve never done it before, and before the whole pandemic arose to what it is now, we wanted this year to be the year. Obviously… our plans have changed. The fact that the Times Square New Years celebration is planning to go virtual this year isn’t a surprise, yet still a delight. It will be really interesting to see what they come with and how they plan to execute it in a way that isn’t awful. I have some faith.
I will be 100% be keeping updated on this event, and perhaps maybe tuning in when the clock strikes midnight with my roommates. If I can’t be in New York and amongst the crowd, there’s nothing wrong with bundling in.
While obviously it is disappointing to see yet another annual event moved into the digital space, I am glad to see that the decision is being made now, when there is ample time to plan for an event as big as New York’s New Year’s Eve Celebration. I think it is hard for people to acknowledge that events several months into the future will still have to be remote, as everyone wants to remain somewhat optimistic for the future. However, I think this is the right call, and making the decision now allows for proper planning and the ability to make this a memorable event with new ideas. I am very interested to see what will happen at this event, and how it will be a direct reflection of the culture of 2020. It will definitely be interesting to see an event of this magnitude moved into an entirely new format.
After planning for many years, my family decided (in February) that this would be the year we would be in New York for the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Come May, we knew that this would not be a possibility. As of September, seeing the NYE celebration go virtual is not a surprising headline to read, but what caught my eye was the "Live Elements Still to be Determined". Obviously, a great deal could change within the next three months, but it's still shocking to me to consider that there would be live elements to this event at all.
Another thing that I found interesting within the article itself is that organizers noted that news, people, and pop culture from 2020 will be woven into the event, but then following it up with "No one needs to be reminded of what the dominant news of 2020 has been so far." Though I believe wholeheartedly that one could plan this celebration to avoid those topics as best as possible, the undertones of everything that 2020 has been to the American people will always lie within it. That being said, I look forward to seeing what they come up with.
Yet another iconic New York City tradition falls victim to the grasp of our pandemic. To be honest, I’m not that disappointed that they have decided to cancel the in-person components of the event and move everything to a virtual medium, I have always hated how many people go Times Square to enter the New Year and it is in my opinion one of the worst experiences to take part in because of having to stand outside in the cold with hundreds of thousands of people and no restrooms available. I also saw this coming having had read an article last week announcing the decision to have the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade in a virtual medium as well. With a Pandemic currently raging, there was no way that they were going to allow that many people to congregate and I believe they made the right decision by putting the publics health first.
Yet another classic staple event in most of the US, like the Macy’s day parade, that needs to undergo some serious changes to be COVID-friendly. Times Square is usually completely filled with people, definitely not the sort of place and time where people are all masked and 6+ feet apart from everyone else. I’m glad to see that they are re-imagining the experience to be completely virtual for the vast majority of viewers (I personally enjoy watching from my home, wherever that is at the time, as opposed to being in Times Square, but some people thrive off of that type of event). Because they need to make so many changes, I think there are a lot of creative decisions to re-think for this year’s ball drop. They can’t just televise the same content without the audience, because the context of this New Year’s Eve is totally different and their audience won’t be in the same room or space. I’m glad to see this happening, and can’t wait to see the final product on December 31st!
And another... Surprise, surprise. If I'm being honest, this has always been somewhat of a virtual experience for me, watching it on television. However, I know for many, this is very disappointing as a big part of their New Year's Eve tradition may be to watch the ball drop in Times Square. Let's be real, it's an iconic, bucket-list moment, that's being crossed off of COVID-19's hit list for 2020. I suppose this will be similar to award shows but I'm hoping that they find some ways to make this special, as many people are looking forward to the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021. A lot of people's hope is wrapped up in 2021, so the creative team behind this event needs to not only think of virtual means of making this happen, but also think of ways to make this an extra special and joyous event, while finding "modern" ways to throw in the traditional feel. Maybe someone should create a doll-house version of times square/the ball and put it online for sale. At 12:00 AM on January 1st, 2021, some larger control system can automatically have everyone's ball drop in their homes. I think that'd be a very memorable thing to do.
What a sad day. The year 2020 has been one of rife and constant batter. It all started not long after the “new year” began. I think we all were hoping that the conclusion of 2020 would also be the end of many shortcomings this year has provided us. Until now that is. We will not be able to close the year with the drop of the ball and start anew like we have done every year prior. This year, 2020, we go into the “new year” still cautious. This year has been rough on many industries, the entertainment industry in particular as it completely shut down. And yet even with Countdown Entertainment putting on a virtual end and start to this year and next, it still remains unfortunate that the work available to be done is still limited and hurting. However, it is not unlike us to continue to push forward and make 2021 the year of recovery. Hopefully as disappointing as not seeing the masses of people at Times Square in your television screen will be, and lacking the feeling that such an event usually brings us… The ball will drop.
Well there goes my New Years Eve plans! Just kidding. I never want to be in Times Square on NYE. Too many people. I do not like crowds. This sounds interesting, but when I read about a “digital” ball drop, I was like what? A digital ball drop? Why can’t the real ball drop live on TV as has been in the past? They plan to have all these performances and such, do they not plan on dropping the real ball? That doesn’t make sense. This is also going to economically impact NYC as well. Now Hotels and restaurants that were already struggling are going to struggle more. NYE in NYC caps off a busy holiday season for hotels, restaurants, and shops and now all of that is thrown into more of a quandary. I understand safety measures need to be taken, but what about all of the people who work this event? What is the city doing to help these folks out? I feel the more we move events digital, this is going to affect future jobs and take a huge bite out of our livelihoods.
Another one bites the dust. First broadway, then the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, now the New Years Eve ball drop and celebration. New York City is taking hit after hit among the pandemic. While so many tourists, local businesses, and harborers of tradition are upset by this news, I am not particularly bothered. The crowds at this event always seemed to be suffering, jam packed like sardines in the freezing weather to see some live performances by famous celebrities and then the ball drop to ring in the new year. Personally, I would watch it on television every year anyway so this really does not inconvenience me or my plans. I am actually glad that it was ultimately decided to be fully virtual at least for now. It is also good that they are planning it so far in advance so that it does not fall to pieces like the virtual graduation ceremony (in my opinion).
As I have said in previous articles, major cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles are potentially the last cities to open up in a post-COVID world. Events like the New Year’s Eve ball drop typically draw thousands of people to Times Square which simply is dangerous and irresponsible now. While I have never been to the Ball Drop in New York, watching it on TV does not feel any different from years past. The industry has seen successful live performances with COVID conscious procedure so I am hopeful for the New Year’s Eve celebration to still contain some form of entertainment. The emotions surrounding the cancelation of events is a difficult one. On one hand I am incredibly upset by the fact that we are still dealing with the uncontrollable nature of this virus. However, the decision to cancel these events could potentially save hundreds of lives, and no concert is worth the life of an attendee.
First of all, January 1st can not be less than 100 days away! That is something I’m still trying to wrap my head around.
Thinking back to previous New Years seems so weird to me now. More than 1 million people would pack together like sardines in Times Square just to see the ball drop. There was no such thing as personal space on New Years. It’s very obvious that we will not have this kind of event this year, so I’m glad they are announcing their plans this early. With all the holidays starting to roll around, I’m curious how each event will handle the new restrictions. What will the New Years live elements be? I wonder if they’ll only have performers and people from in town to limit the amount of travel like the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Even though it’s going to be different, hopefully it will send us into a much better year.
I'm gonna start by saying: this shouldn't be "virtually enhanced", it should be completely virtual. This is another example of how, for some reason, the world thinks covid-19 and all of 2020's other disasters will magically disappear once the clock strikes midnight and it is 2021. People all over the United States and the world watch the broadcasted New York ball drop in the comfort of their own home anyway. I think that because watching it virtually is the only option this year, at least for safe people who are still aware of the WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC, they don't have much to lose making it completely virtual. There are of course going to be people who will show up in Times Square regardless of it, so canceling the live event all together is the best option. Especially in a city like New York, where a hotspot of cases are on the rise, it is just not the time for such a large gathering. Including the thanksgiving parade, Americans need to, for once, put the lives of others and the safety of the world in their priority and put a gathering for a celebration above themselves. It is not as important. Stop being selfish.
Again, I’m sad but not surprised. Like obviously they’re not gonna let thousands of people of people gather in probably what is one of the tightest spaces you can ever in and one of the busiest places in the world, come together because of a New Year’s celebration. I know it is really sad because it’s New Years and in New York and a lot of people not from New York also tune in to watch the ball drop and it’s definitely a nationwide tradition and event that make a lot of people feel in the moment and feel as though it is really New Years and that time of year again. My friend’s dad directs the ball drop every year so I’m really excited to see how it all plays out and what they have planned for it. I also fear that there are just gonna be an abundance of technical difficulties that might ruin the moment but it is what no one asked for COVID.
I’ve never really seen the appeal in actually being in Times Square for New Year’s, and particularly this year it would be an awful idea to pack thousands of people into a tight space, even outdoors. I think that like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, going mainly virtual is the right move here - the majority of viewers watch from TVs elsewhere in the country anyway. What is lost, I think, is the experience of watching so many people together, and the feeling of community or sharing a moment together from across the country or the world. Hopefully the smaller live elements manage to capture some of that magic, while the rest of us will have to make do with our families instead. I think a lot of people are building up New Year’s this year as a moment of hope. There are so many narratives going around of ‘2020 being a disaster year’ and ‘2020 strikes again’ and schools and industries pushing narratives of reopening next year and ‘next year we’ll have a vaccine’ and ‘next year it’ll be back to normal’. None of these are necessarily true, but New Year’s is usually meant as a celebration of hope for progress, and this year I think if they’re smart, the organizers of the NYE celebration will incorporate that feeling into their programming.
My initial thought when I read the headline of this article was “Who would want to watch the ball drop in Times Square on New Year’s Eve virtually?” And then I realized…
Almost everyone in the United States watches this happen virtually every year. This is only changing for New Yorkers and tourists who intended on being in NYC on New Year’s Eve, which isn’t a ton of people. Perhaps, this is a good thing. It’s public knowledge that you can’t escape the crowd that awaits the celebration once you’re in it, and therefore many people use the bathroom on the street. No judgement here, because there really isn’t any other option. Other than the obvious- bringing a water bottle to pee in, if you have male genitalia, or are very talented. I don’t see this going virtually as a big let-down given that it was already provided virtually and there really wasn’t any way it could have been made COVID-safe to allow it to occur in-person. This wasn’t a surprise, nor was it a disappointment, for me.
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