'Aladdin' Cast Tests New Year's Eve Confetti In Times Square
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Visitors in Times Square got a sneak peek Monday of this year's New Year's Eve celebration.
The Times Square Alliance performed a confetti test Monday with the cast of "Aladdin" on Broadway doing the honors from The New Amsterdam Theater marquee.
Dressed in costume, the actors playing the Genie, Princess Jasmine and Aladdin tossed armloads of the confetti to test its air worthiness.
1010 WINS' Sonia Rincon asked Times Square Alliance President Tim Tompkins if there's any science behind the perfect confetti blizzard.
"It's a very top-secret skill," he joked. "And that's why we had to have Broadway actors from 'Aladdin' out here. They know how to make a carpet fly, so they can make confetti fly as well."
Children scooped up the confetti and gave it another toss before street vacuums cleaned it up.
A family from Long Island was among those delighted with the preview.
"It was great," one woman said.
When asked if she knew the test was being performed, she replied: "No. We just came up from the subway, and there it was. Magical things happen in New York every day."
On New Year's Eve, crews will throw more than 3,000 pounds of confetti after the ball drops at midnight.
People are writing their New Year's wishes on the confetti.
"So if you're out there, you'll be able to catch someone's wish," Tompkins told WCBS 880's Jim Smith.
Beth, from Redding, Pennsylvania, happened to be walking past when the confetti began to rain down Monday. So she made an early wish.
"Just to be happy as a family, to be able to celebrate, just to be happy and have a great time," she said.
Check Out These Other Stories From CBSNewYork.com: