Times Square Ball Drop 2026: Time, How to Watch and the Countdown in Every US Time Zone

The Times Square New Year’s Eve ball starts its 60-second descent at exactly 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2026, according to the Times Square Alliance. The ball is raised to the top of the pole at about 6 p.m. ET. This story gives the clock time in every U.S. zone, the ABC and Disney+ start time and the entry rules the Alliance published for the last event. For the date itself, see when is New Year’s Eve.

Ball drop schedule for Thursday, Dec. 31, 2026

Time (ET)	What happens	Source
About 6 p.m.	Ball raised to the top of the pole	Times Square Alliance
6 p.m.	Alliance live webcast starts	Times Square Alliance
8 p.m.	“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2027” starts on ABC and Disney+	TheWrap, TV Insider
11:59 p.m.	Ball starts its 60-second descent	Times Square Alliance
Midnight, Fri., Jan. 1	New Year in Times Square	Times Square Alliance

The Alliance invites viewers to join its webcast online at 6 p.m. on Dec. 31. Its pages differ on how long the webcast runs, so treat it as a live webcast from 6 p.m. ET.

What time is the ball drop in every U.S. time zone?

The drop happens once, in New York. The table shows the clock time in each zone at the moment it is midnight in Times Square. The ball starts moving one minute earlier.

Zone	Clock time at midnight ET	Date
Eastern (New York)	12:00 a.m.	Fri., Jan. 1
Central	11 p.m.	Thu., Dec. 31
Mountain	10 p.m.	Thu., Dec. 31
Pacific	9 p.m.	Thu., Dec. 31
Alaska	8 p.m.	Thu., Dec. 31
Hawaii	7 p.m.	Thu., Dec. 31
Atlantic (Puerto Rico)	1 a.m.	Fri., Jan. 1

The ball goes up at 6 p.m. ET, which is 3 p.m. in Pacific Time (PT). People in the West who watch live see the New York drop at 9 p.m. PT, not at their own midnight. Whether ABC repeats the show later for western viewers has not been announced.

Canada and the UK change the answer

Two Canadian provinces moved to permanent offsets this year, per the tz database release notes (2026b and 2026c). Alberta has been on permanent UTC-6 since June 2026, so Calgary and Edmonton see New York’s midnight at 11 p.m. British Columbia has been on permanent UTC-7 since March 2026, so Vancouver sees it at 10 p.m. In the United Kingdom, midnight in New York is 5 a.m. on Jan. 1.

How to watch the 2027 countdown on TV and online

TheWrap reported on Oct. 7, 2026, and TV Insider on Oct. 27, 2026, that “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2027” airs on Dec. 31 starting at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT) on ABC and, for the first time, is simulcast on Disney+. TV Insider wrote that Ryan Seacrest “will be back as the main host.” TheWrap named Rita Ora as the returning co-host in Times Square, Julianne Hough and Rob Gronkowski in Las Vegas, and Druski as a Chicago co-host.

Performers have not been announced. Plans from CNN, NBC and Fox have not been announced either. Last year, ABC’s special also began at 8 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. CT, according to ABC11 on Dec. 26, 2025.

What to know before going to Times Square

The Alliance has not posted 2026-27 updates. These rules come from its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page for the last event, so check the page again in December.

• Access on Dec. 31 is from 6th Avenue or 8th Avenue only, with access points at 45th, 49th, 52nd and 56th Streets.
• All bags are searched. Backpacks, large bags, umbrellas, folding chairs, large coolers and drones were not permitted.
• Public drinking is illegal in New York City, and police confiscate alcohol.
• Revelers begin to gather in the afternoon. The Alliance calls public transportation the best way to come.

The Alliance also lets visitors to its New Year’s Eve page add a wish for the new year to a piece of Times Square confetti that will rain down at midnight.

Is the ball new this year?

The Constellation Ball debuted for the 2025-26 countdown. Fox 5 New York reported on Nov. 25, 2025, citing a media release from One Times Square, that it carries 5,280 Waterford crystals measuring 1.5, 3 and 4 inches in diameter. The Alliance has not announced a change for this year.

Plan the rest of the holiday week with the December 2026 printable calendar and the January 2027 printable calendar, and see the NYC holiday calendar for the weeks before. For the same moment around the world, read New Year’s countdown 2027 by time zone.