The Waterford and Times Square announced the theme for the Waterford New Years Eve Ball as “Gift of Wonder for the New Years Eve Ball drop. The 11, 875-pound ball has 2,688 Waterford crystal triangles. The triangles are designed in different sizes. For the Gift of Wonder design, 288 of the Crystals are etched with starbursts. The other triangles are etched with special wedge cuts. How does the ball light up and change colors? Hundreds of LED lights are attached to the ball’s frame.

The LED lights are red, blue, green and white. Attached to 672 LED modules, the 32,256 colored bulbs are called Philips Luxeon Rebel LEDs.

Waterford New Years Eve Ball, photo courtesy of Waterford

Waterford New Years Eve Ball, photo courtesy of Countdown Entertainment, LLC

 

Photo courtesy of Waterford

Photo courtesy of Countdown Entertainment, LLC

 

The numeral "6" is installed atop One Times Square by workers from Landmark Signs. Philips, the global leader in lighting, provides all of the Times Square New Year’s Eve Numerals with advanced, energy-efficient Philips outdoor rated LED BR30 bulbs. New Year’s 2016 marks the 16th consecutive year that Philips Lighting has served as the official lighting partner to the world-famous Times Square New Year’s Eve – produced by the Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment. Like the “20,” the “16” is illuminated by the same Philips outdoor rated LED BR30 bulbs that are available to consumers everywhere Philips lighting is sold. The four numerals use a total of 516 9-watt energy efficient Philips outdoor rated LED BR30 bulbs.

The numeral “6” is installed atop One Times Square by workers from Landmark Signs. Philips, the global leader in lighting, provides all of the Times Square New Year’s Eve Numerals. Photo courtesy of Countdown Entertainment, LLC

 

288 sparkling new Waterford Crystal triangles featuring this year’s “Gift of Wonder” design are installed on the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball. The design is composed by a faceted starburst inspiring a sense of wonder that nourishes the seeds of knowledge and achievement. The crystals, designed and crafted by Waterford artisans, are each about 3/8” thick, 4.75” to 5.75” in length, and 6.8 ounces in weight, and are custom-designed and built to exacting standards to withstand the stresses of high winds, precipitation and temperature fluctuation that exist 470 feet above Times Square.

288 sparkling new Waterford Crystal triangles featuring this year’s “Gift of Wonder” design are installed on the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball. Photo courtesy of Countdown Entertainment, LLC

 

288 sparkling new Waterford Crystal triangles featuring this year’s “Gift of Wonder” design are installed on the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball. The design is composed by a faceted starburst inspiring a sense of wonder that nourishes the seeds of knowledge and achievement. The crystals, designed and crafted by Waterford artisans, are each about 3/8” thick, 4.75” to 5.75” in length, and 6.8 ounces in weight, and are custom-designed and built to exacting standards to withstand the stresses of high winds, precipitation and temperature fluctuation that exist 470 feet above Times Square.

288 sparkling new Waterford Crystal triangles featuring this year’s “Gift of Wonder” design are installed on the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball. The design is created with a faceted starburst. Photo courtesy of Countdown Entertainment, LLC

 

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Photo courtesy of Countdown Entertainment, LLC

 

Photo courtesy of Countdown Entertainment, LLC

Photo courtesy of Countdown Entertainment, LLC

 

Workers with Landmark Signs install 288 sparkling new Waterford Crystal triangles featuring this year’s “Gift of Wonder” design on the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball. The design is composed by a faceted starburst inspiring a sense of wonder that nourishes the seeds of knowledge and achievement. The crystals, designed and crafted by Waterford artisans, are each about 3/8” thick, 4.75” to 5.75” in length, and 6.8 ounces in weight, and are custom-designed and built to exacting standards to withstand the stresses of high winds, precipitation and temperature fluctuation that exist 470 feet above Times Square.

Workers with Landmark Signs install 288 sparkling new Waterford Crystal triangles featuring this year’s “Gift of Wonder” design on the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball. Photo courtesy of Countdown Entertainment, LLC

Numerals-16 Arrival-Times-Square Photo courtesy of Waterford

Numerals-16 Arrival-Times-Square Photo courtesy of Waterford, Photo courtesy of Countdown Entertainment, LLC