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Stars of BROADWAY’S ALADDIN, CHICAGO, and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA to Serve as Times Square New Year’s Eve Special Guests
NEW YORK - December 31, 2021 – Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment, co-organizers of Times Square New Year’s Eve, today announced that the event will honor Broadway performers, with actors Michael James Scott (Aladdin), Mary Claire King (CHICAGO) and Ben Crawford (The Phantom of the Opera), representing the performing arts community and serving as the evening’s distinguished Special Guests.
As the evening’s esteemed Special Guests, the group of three will join the Mayor of the City of New York to push the crystal button on the main stage in the center of Times Square, which signals the lowering of the Waterford Crystal Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball. The moment — viewed by billions across the world — officially begins the 60-second countdown to the New Year. Due in part to the presence of the Special Guests, the moment is historically seen as a celebration of the human spirit and a source of hope for the New Year.
“As 2021 draws to a close, we are honored to shine a spotlight on the Broadway community, a group with members that individually – and as a collective - demonstrated perseveration, resiliency and dedication throughout the year,” said Tom Harris, President of the Times Square Alliance. “Times Square would not be the vibrant, thriving neighborhood that it is without its theaters and the performers who bring magic to their stages.”
The Special Guest designation is an annual tradition for Times Square New Year’s Eve that dates back to the mid-1990s. Each year since, by selecting a Special Guest, the event producers honor an inspiring individual/s who represents public service, resiliency, and the human spirit.
Last year’s Special Guests were the “Heroes of 2020,” first responders, frontline and essential workers and their families who sacrificed so much in 2020 to provide care and support for their communities. Other past Special Guests include former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Supreme Court
Justice Sonya Sotomayor, former UN Secretary General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon, Muhammad Ali, Lady Gaga, Christopher Reeve, Medal of Honor winner Salvatore Giunta, and #MeToo founder Tarana Burke.
“The reopening of Broadway earlier this year provided a rally cry that many people around the world needed, and was a great example of our city’s strength and fortitude,” said Jeff Straus, President of Countdown Entertainment. “This year’s Special Guests helped revive the spirit of the city this year, and we want to celebrate and carry that positive energy into the New Year.”
For actor bios along with video and photo assets form the three productions please click here.
For 117 years, Times Square has been the center of worldwide attention on New Year’s Eve, ever since the owners of One Times Square began in 1904 to conduct rooftop celebrations to greet the New Year. The first Ball Lowering celebration occurred in 1907, and this tradition is now a universal symbol of welcoming the New Year.
Vaccination Policy for Times Square New Year’s Eve
As announced in November, this year’s Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration will safely welcome revelers back to Times Square to watch the Ball Drop in person, with proof of full vaccination and valid photo identification. In-person attendees will also be required to wear masks.
For more information on the vaccination policy and additional health and safety measures in place for in-person revelers, and how to watch all of the action and Times Square New Year’s Eve festivities from anywhere, please visit www.TSQ.org/NYE.
How to Watch
The Times Square 2022 Webcast will begin at 6 p.m. ET on December 31, 2021 and end at 12:15 a.m. ET on January 1, 2022. The show will be streamed live on multiple websites, including TimesSquareNYC.org, NewYearsEve.nyc, LiveStream.com/2022 and TimesSquareBall.net.
Embedding codes and additional webcast info is available at: https://www.timessquarenyc.org/times-square-new-years-eve/nye-live-webcast or LiveStream.com/2022.
Additionally, Jamestown, the owner of One Times Square – home of the iconic New Year’s Eve Ball Drop Celebration – brought back its virtual New Year’s Eve experience: VNYE. Through VNYE, people from across the globe can explore the virtual world of Times Square, play games, and livestream New Year’s Eve celebrations in Times Square and around the world. In 2020, VNYE reached more than 3.7 million people worldwide.
A number of broadcast networks will be airing elements of the Times Square celebration, including ABC (“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest”) and CNN (“New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen”).
Info for the Times Square New Year’s Eve television broadcast pool feed is available at https://www.timessquarenyc.org/times-square-new-years-eve/media-press/new-years-eve-pool-feed-information
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About Times Square New Year's Eve
The Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment are the organizers of Times Square New Year's Eve. The Times Square Alliance works to improve and promote Times Square so that it retains the energy, edge and distinctiveness that have made it an icon of entertainment, culture and urban life. Countdown Entertainment represents the owners of One Times Square and the New Year’s Eve Ball.
For more information about Times Square New Year’s Eve, visit www.TimesSquareNYC.org.
To join the Times Square New Year’s Eve conversation on Twitter, follow #BallDrop.
Times Square Alliance:
Like on Facebook: Facebook.com/TimesSquareNYC
Follow on Twitter: Twitter.com/TimesSquareNYC
Follow on Instagram: Instagram.com/TimesSquareNYC
Media Information:
To read a history of Times Square New Year’s Eve and access images of past events or the New Year’s Eve Ball, please click here.
To request interviews or for other questions, please contact:
TJ Witham / Times Square Alliance
212-452-5234 / TJWitham@TimesSquareNYC.org
Kristen Bothwell / Rubenstein
212-843-9227 / KBothwell@Rubenstein.com
