Air in Times Square filled with colored paper as organizers test New Year's Eve confetti

NEW YORK — Visitors to Times Square got a taste of New York City's famous New Year's Eve party on Friday when event organizers waved handfuls of colored paper skyward during a promotional event to test their confetti.

With crowds of revelers expected to show up in Times Square for the festivities, even the smallest details shouldn't be overlooked, says Jeff Strauss, president of Countdown Entertainment. That includes the 2-by-2-inch (5-by-5-centimeter) pieces of paper that will flutter to the ground at the stroke of midnight Sunday.

“This is quite a process,” Strauss said. “We were allowed to feel the confetti. We have to blow it up. We have to make sure it floats.”

While the test may have been more promotional than practical, the actual release of New Year's confetti – which has been part of the event since 1992 – remains a labor-intensive operation. An estimated 3,000 pounds (1,361 kilograms) of confetti is trucked into downtown Manhattan each year and then transported to the rooftops of office buildings overlooking Times Square. About a hundred volunteer 'distribution engineers' then deposit the load on the street to ring in the new year.

At a security briefing later Friday, New York Mayor Eric Adams said the city's police force was prepared for large numbers of spectators.

“Hundreds of thousands of people will be queuing here, and no matter how many times we see it, you never get used to it, the excitement continues again and again,” he said.

Besides confetti, there were a lot of other preparations going on for the party, which lasts from 6 p.m. until after midnight on Sunday. Behind the “2024” light display that arrived this week, the glittering crystal ball was set to undergo its own test drop on Saturday.

“Like any good Broadway show, we rehearse everything to make sure there are no problems before opening night,” said Tom Harris, president of the Times Square Alliance.