New York City has never been as crowded as it is these days. Those who make the mistake of traversing the area around Times Square will soon find themselves stuck in masses of slowly moving people who gaze at the flashing billboards and at times, probably overwhelmed by so much New York, quite simply: stand still. Slow-moving people make themselves unpopular with residents of this city, but if there’s one thing New Yorkers really hate, it’s people who just stand still. There are even signs around Times Square that say: Keep Walking!
In 2020, there were hardly any tourists in the city at the turn of the year due to the pandemic. In 2021 there were a few more, but they didn’t matter much. Only 15,000 visitors were allowed to attend the traditional New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square. That was still due to the precautionary measures taken because of Covid, although these 15,000 people then appeared mostly without masks. It would be an exaggeration to say that they lost themselves in the vastness of the square, but it was a visible difference from the pre-pandemic years.
2021 was the only year when, due to the restriction, you knew pretty well how many visitors had come to the square. In the past, numbers were roughly estimated. In the 1990s, the police always stated that around 500,000 people celebrated New Year’s Eve in Times Square. That seemed like an exorbitant number at the time, which didn’t stop former Mayor Rudy Giuliani claiming in 2000 that around two million people were celebrating in the area. The number was an invention, Giuliani wanted to emphasize how big and important New York is – and not least himself.
The British mathematician G. Keith Still, who among other things deals with estimating the size of crowds, calculated in 2018 that the number of visitors to Times Square on New Year’s Eve was probably just under 100,000. New York city marketing, of course, ignores this calculation. No matter how many people it may be: What is certain is that it will be really crowded again this year.
The forecast for rain will not stop tens of thousands of tourists from gathering in the square from midday. By 6 p.m. at the latest, Times Square will be full. It takes a slightly masochistic streak to do that to yourself. Backpacks are not allowed, alcohol is not allowed, and important to know: there are no restrooms. All sorts of bands perform, at midnight a glittering ball descends from a flagpole on a high-rise building, this is the so-called “Ball Drop”, the highlight of the celebrations.
As a reward for holding out for so long, the revelers are then showered with confetti, lots of confetti. According to city marketing, it’s a ton, 1000 kilograms. But even that number might be at least a little exaggerated.