- Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in Times Square as the New Years Eve countdown begins
- The celebrity-filled event will include live performances from Flo Rida, Megan Thee Stallion and LL Cool J
- Crowds started forming early in the morning and people have found creative ways to relieve themselves without losing their spot
Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in Times Square as the New Years Eve countdown begins, and one man at the front of the live reveals how he relieves himself while waiting in line.
One million people are expected to watch the ball drop in person and another billion are anticipated to watch on TV.
Crowds have been building throughout the day, rushing to closer to the event stage and to get the best view of the ball drop.
Video post on TikTok shows crowds that had been waiting since 5 a.m. eagerly waiting to get past the police barriers. One man at the front of the pack revealed his secret to going to the bathroom while waiting in line.
‘See these pads? You have to pee in these pads. It don’t matter who you are,’ said the man wearing an orange jacket and Kiss hat.
One million people are expected to watch the Times Square ball drop in person and another billion are anticipated to watch on TV
Crowds have been building throughout the day, rushing to closer to the event stage and to get the best view of the ball drop
‘If you leave and you have to use the bathroom or even get water, that’s the problem. ‘
He said, ‘Whatever you decided to do, you gotta make the best of it.’
The celebrity-filled event will include live performances from Flo Rida, Megan Thee Stallion and LL Cool J, as well as televised appearances from Cardi B and others.
Organizers said in-person attendance is expected to return to pre-COVID levels, even as foot traffic around Times Square remains down slightly since the pandemic.
CNN will broadcast Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen’s New Year’s Eve Special celebrations. It will be Cooper and Cohen’s seventh year hosting the extravaganza.
Alongside CNN, hosts from other big outlets will also be broadcasting live from Times Square, where the protests are threatening to reach.
ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest will be co-hosted by Rita Ora – and performers will include LL Cool J, Megan Thee Stallion, Jelly Roll, and Sabrina Carpenter.
Celebrations in Times Square kicked off at 6 p.m., when the six-ton crystal ball will be lit and raised up. At 11:59 p.m., the ball will start its one-minute drop in front of hundreds of thousands of cheering party-goers.
Cable networks are preparing for the worst amid fears that their live broadcast plans on New Year’s Eve may have to change if disorderly pro-Palestine supporters take over Times Square.
Anti-Israel protesters are threatening to derail December 31 celebrations in the Big Apple.
The NYPD is pulling out all the security stops ahead of the potential violence on the streets of New York City. Protests have been occurring in the city since Hamas brutalized Israeli civilians, triggering a conflict in the Middle East on October 7.
At a press conference on Friday, Mayor Eric Adams said that ‘there are no specific threats to the city,’ but ‘as we saw last year, after having no specific threats we get a threat, and we are going to be ready.’
Megan Thee Stallion performed during the Times Square New Year’s Even 2024 Celebration in Times Square
He was referencing when three cops were attacked by a Maine man, 19, with a machete over US support for Israel on December 31, 2022.
Assistant NYPD Commissioner Kaz Daughtry stated on December 29: ‘We’re going to have tow trucks strategically parked along the actual New Year’s Eve festivities, and we’re going to have drones deployed around the outer perimeter so we can monitor the protests, potential protests that are coming in real time.’
Adams added: ‘Hundreds of thousands of people will be out here lined up, and no matter how often we see it, you never get used to it, the excitement remains over and over again.’
Times Square will be closed off from around 12 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and those who want to get into the area have to go through police checkpoints and security screenings.
Homeland Security and the FBI will be in Times Square, alongside state police, cops on horseback, and canine units.