Times Square ball drop 2026 to feature patriotic red, white and blue for America’s 250th

This year, the crystal ball placed in Times Square to celebrate 2026 will include a patriotic touch for America’s 250th birthday.

The balloon will sparkle red, white and blue to mark the start of the new year and kick off months of celebrations for the nation’s birthday. And a second confetti drop will take place at 12:04 a.m. on New Year’s Day, Rosie Rios, president of America250, told Fox News.

The iconic ball drop in Times Square is one of the biggest and most-watched events on New Year’s Eve, which typically sees up to 1 million people flood the area, sometimes in freezing temperatures.

A second ball toss event is planned for July 3, the eve of the nation’s birthday, “in the same magnificent style that Times Square knows how to do,” Rios said.

It will be the first time in 120 years that there will be a ball drop in Times Square that won’t take place on New Year’s Eve, she said.

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America250, One Times Square and Times Square Alliance Unveil Ball Designed to Honor the Nation’s Semi-Quintennial (PA)

The celebration will precede months of events large and small to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

“I’m telling you right now, no matter what you imagine, it’s going to be much more than that,” America250 President Rosie Rios, who oversees the bipartisan commission created by Congress in 2016 to organize the semi-centennial, told The Associated Press. “It will be an unforgettable celebration, the most inspiring celebration this country and perhaps the world has ever seen.”

The group worked with the Times Square Alliance and One Times Square, the building from which the ball is tossed, to make the changes to this year’s ceremonies.

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A patriotic crystal ball will be used at the Times Square New Year’s Ball to mark the start of 2026, months before America’s 250th birthday. (PA)

Ball drops have occurred in Times Square almost every year since 1907. The only years where no ball drops occurred were 1942 and 1943, when New York City instituted a nightly “dimout” during World War II to protect against attacks.

In addition to the balloon, America Gives, a national service initiative created by America250, will launch at midnight on January 1.

American250 will participate in the New Year’s Rose Parade in Pasadena, California with a float themed “Soaring Onward Together for 250 Years.”

President Donald Trump also announced the “Freedom 250” initiative to coordinate other events for the 250th anniversary.

Rios said a wide range of celebrations and programs are planned next year to commemorate America’s birthday, from large fireworks displays and potluck dinners across the state to student competitions and citizen oral histories.

These events, she said, represent an opportunity to unite a politically divided nation.

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“If we can find something for everyone … have menus of options that people can choose from and choose how they want to participate,” she told the AP. “This is how we are going to get 350 million Americans involved.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.