New York Gets Ready for New Year’s Eve Celebration

Workers light the Waterford crystal ball during a test for the New Year's Eve celebration atop One Times Square in New York, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014. The ball, which is 12 feet in diameter and weighs 11,875 pounds, is decorated with 2,688 Waterford crystals and illuminated by 32,256 LED lights. AP Photo/Kathy Willens

NEW YORK—The Waterford crystal ball is ready for its New Year’s close-up.

The glittering 11,875-pound ball was tested Tuesday ahead of the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square, where up to a million revelers are expected to ring in 2015. Workers coiled massive cables as the ball went up and down the flagpole atop 1 Times Square.

“It was such a difficult 2014, we’re going to have a great celebration to ring in the new year,” said Jeffrey Straus, president of the Times Square Alliance, which runs the event. “This is our opportunity to come together to celebrate the future.”

Ryan Seacrest will host the countdown show, with Taylor Swift, Idina Menzel, Florida Georgia Line and Magic! among the musical guests. When the clock strikes midnight and the ball drops, so will 1 ton of confetti — scraps of paper containing well wishes for the upcoming year.

Workers prepare to test the Waterford crystal ball for the New Year's Eve celebration atop One Times Square in New York, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014. The ball, which is 12 feet in diameter and weighs 11,875 pounds, is decorated with 2,688 Waterford crystals and illuminated by 32,256 LED lights. AP Photo/Kathy Willens