When did the celebration of New Year's Eve in Time Square begin?

The first celebration of New Year's Eve in Times Square in New York City was in 1904. The first year that a ball descended a flagpole at midnight was 1907.

The first New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square began as a party to celebrate the opening of a new headquarters for The New York Times. This party included an all-day street festival and culminated in a large fireworks display. Over 200,000 people attended.

In 1907, an illuminated iron and wood ball that weighed over 700 pounds was lowered from a flagpole at midnight. As of 2015, a ball as been lowered every year on New Year's Eve in Times Square since 1907, with the exception of the years 1942 and 1943 due to the war.