New York City is getting ready to ring in New Year's Eve 2026 with the ball drop countdown in Times Square.

Temperatures when the clock strikes midnight will likely be the coldest in eight years.

We have everything to know about how to watch the ball drop in person or at home, and what to know about getting around the city on New Year's Eve.

Where does the ball drop in Times Square?

Times Square is located along Broadway in Manhattan's Theater District, between the Port Authority Bus Terminal and Rockefeller Center. The New Year's Eve ball sits on a flagpole atop the One Times Square building, once known as the Times Tower. 

Viewing area access points are set up at 45th, 49th, 52nd and 56th streets on Sixth and Eighth avenues. Organizers say the best viewing spots are along Broadway from 43rd to 50th streets, and Seventh Avenue as far north as 59th Street. 

Visitors are encouraged to arrive by mass transit, and the MTA says there will be extra subway service into the evening and after midnight on the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, C, D, L, N, Q, R and S lines.

See more details, like what items are allowed and where to eat or stay around the area, here.

Who is performing at the 2026 Times Square ball drop? 

Performers include Jenn O'Hagan, B.o.B, Ciara, Tones and I, Le Sserafim, Robyn, Little Big Town, Xavi, Maren Morris, Ana Barbara and Diana Ross.

Meanwhile on CBS, the "New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash" will have performances from Jason Aldean, Lainey Wilson and Bailey Zimmerman, along with Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, Riley Green, Marcus King, Megan Moroney, Zach Top, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, Stephen Wilson Jr., and Dwight Yoakam with special guest appearances by Dusty Slay, "Entertainment Tonight" correspondent Cassie DiLaura, Sirius XM host Buzz Brainard and UFC champion Kayla Harrison.

How can you watch the ball drop on New Year's Eve?

For those looking to avoid the crowd and watch from somewhere more comfortable, the festivities can also be found online.

The Times Square Alliance will have a live feed from the Crossroads of the World from 6 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., and CBS News New York will cover the countdown to midnight starting at 10:30 p.m. Watch live here.

"Nashville's Big Bash" airs from 8-10 p.m. on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

When does the ball drop?

The ball drops at the stroke of midnight at 12:00 a.m. E.T., ushering in the new year. The ball drop tradition dates back to 1907.

Spectator entrances open at 3 p.m. before the ball is lit up and lifted into place at 6 p.m. The 60-second countdown starts at 11:59 p.m., when the confetti will fly. 

Once the crowd is cleared, a massive cleanup effort begins. The Sanitation Department will be standing by to remove the more than 1 ton of confetti. 

How can you avoid New Year's Eve traffic in NYC?

Whether you're traveling to the ball drop or celebrating elsewhere, drivers should expect heavy traffic across Manhattan. 

The NYPD says the streets around Times Square will be closed from West 34th Street to West 59th Street between Sixth Avenue and Eighth Avenue. Street closures will begin at 4 a.m. Thursday and expand throughout the day.

Once again, officials say mass transit will be the best way to get around.

What security is in place for the 2026 Times Square ball drop? 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch provided an update Tuesday afternoon on security for the 2026 New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square.

Officials said there is no specific, credible threats to this year's event, but thousands of officers, both uniformed and plainclothes, will be deployed throughout Times Square and the surrounding area.

Tisch said the NYPD detail for this year's event is bigger than last year's with more officers being deployed in two places:  at access points on Sixth and Eighth avenues, and inside pens.

"We will have mobile screening teams walking around the pens, and if we see anything that looks suspicious, we will have teams in place to do appropriate screening. That's a new addition this year, as well," Tisch said.

Reports from the FBI last year and this year show the biggest threats to the event are lone offenders and small groups.

"Behind the scenes, they have a massive intelligence operation scouring the internet, looking for any clues to lone attackers, small groups," CBS News law enforcement contributor Richard Esposito said. 

"We are well aware that we have to remain vigilant, and that's what these officers, they know what needs to be done," Adams said.

Esposito said there is a command center above the ball with snipers and drones.

"Drones are also looking for other drones, one of the biggest challenges these days," he said. "There are thousands of drones in the air just, you know, drones are going to go up just to look at the event, so they've got to sort that out."

Adams added that "while we acknowledge that the city will respect and protect people's right to protest," there will be zero tolerance for interfering with the celebration or other disorderly behavior across the city.