Times Square New Year's Eve: Your 2019 Guide To The Ball Drop

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — As the world gets ready to say goodbye to 2018, millions of people from all around the globe are beginning to flood Times Square to celebrate the coming of a new year.

About 2 million people generally spend their New Year's Eve cooped up in a spectator cage in Times Square, with millions more watching at home on T.V. No matter where you'll be, Patch has you covered.

Here's a handy guide covering everything you need to know about New York City's official New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square.

Getting to Times Square:

Leave the car keys at home because you can forget about driving to Times Square on New Year's Eve. With road closures, beefed up security and nowhere to park the best way to get to Times Square will be by public transportation — specifically the subway.

Because Times Square is such a popular destination it's very easy to get to no matter where you're coming from. The A, C, E, N, Q, R, W, 1, 2, 3, 7 and 42nd Street Shuttle lines all stop in Times Square. Additionally one could take the 4, 5, 6 or 7 train to Grand Central and transfer to the 42nd Street Shuttle.
How to get to Times Square from New Jersey:

• If you're taking New Jersey Transit to Penn Station catch the 2 or 3 train to Times Square 42nd Street.
• If you're taking New Jersey Transit t0 the Port Authority Bus Terminal you can walk from the bus station to Times Square.
• If you're taking the PATH to World Trade Center transfer to the A, C, E, 2 or 3 lines on the subway.
• If you're taking the PATH to 33rd Street transfer to the N, Q, R or W lines on the subway.

How to get to Times Square from Long Island:

• If you're taking the Long Island Railroad to Penn Station transfer to the A, C, E, 1, 2 or 3 lines on the subway.

Street closures:

Crosstown traffic will be closed between 37th and 59th streets from Sixth to Eighth avenues starting at 11 a.m. on New Year's Eve. The 125 parking garages in that area will be sealed and no cars allowed in or out.

As people begin to claim their spot's for the New Year's Eve celebration, police will close down streets at 43rd Street and Broadway and move north as more people arrive.

What to bring with you — and what not to bring:

If you're going to get to Times Square early, you will be on your feet outside for a long time. In that case you should be wearing comfortable footwear and should bring warm clothing if it gets cold.

These items are not allowed inside Times Square on New Year's Eve:

• Umbrellas;
• Backpacks and large bags;
• Alcoholic beverages.

If you bring anything that's not allowed police will not let you leave it for safekeeping at a security checkpoint.

Weather:

Heavy rain is forecast to hit New York City on Monday and continue through the night.

Revelers should plan to bring some heavy-duty rain gear, because umbrellas will not be allowed inside Times Square.

Broadcast information:

With several different TV broadcasts all competing to show you the same exact thing, the choice really comes down to which host you prefer. Patch will also be showing the festivities live starting at 5 p.m. Dec. 31.

Here are some of your main options:

• Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest on ABC (8 p.m. start time).
• New Year's Eve With Carson Daly and Chrissy Teigen on NBC (11:30 p.m. start time).
• New Year’s Eve with Steve Harvey and Maria Menounos on FOX (8 p.m. start time).
• New Year's Eve Live With Anderson Cooper And Andy Cohen on CNN (8 p.m. start time).

Live Streams:

Check out these links for a live stream of New Year's Eve in Times Square:

• Patch
• TimesSquareNYC.org
• NewYearsEve.nyc
• TimesSquareBall.net

The above links should also work on mobile devices.

Photo by Hiroko Masuike/Getty Images News/Getty Images