NEW YORK – New Year’s Eve revelers converged on Times Square to watch the dropping of a new energy-efficient ball, while gay couples in New Hampshire awaited the stroke of midnight to take advantage of a new law allowing civil unions. Pedestrians started crowding the Times Square area even before the neon-lit crossroads were closed to vehicles for the 100th anniversary of the ball drop. The first ball was an iron-and-wood contraption lit with 100 25-watt incandescent bulbs. Last year’s version had more than 600 incandescent and halogen bulbs.
But the star of this year’s extravaganza was lit up with 9,576 tiny, energy-efficient LEDs that organizers said would draw about as much electricity as 10 toasters. Philips Lighting, which made the light-emitting diodes, said they would be more than twice as bright as last year’s energy-hungry lights.
A different sort of light show was set in Brooksville, Fla., where the ball being dropped was a 200-pound fiberglass tangerine, with lightbulbs inside. The sixth annual drop was billed as a family-friendly, nonalcoholic event.
About 1 million people were expected for the 32nd First Night celebration in Boston. The party lineup included a half-dozen ice sculptures around the city, each weighing 30 to 45 tons, performances by hundreds of artists, and a midnight fireworks display over Boston Harbor.
The Chicago Transit Authority continued its New Year’s Eve tradition of offering penny fares on buses and trains as thousands were expected to head to the city’s fireworks shows on Navy Pier.
More than 300,000 people were expected to crowd the Las Vegas Strip and downtown resorts for the countdown to midnight. They were expected to spend more than $200 million in restaurants, theaters and clubs — with a big chunk of that going to the hefty door charge, usually around $250, at the Strip’s slick nightclubs.
For that much money, patrons could see pop star Avril Lavigne, booked to host the party at the new Prive Las Vegas at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. The Luxor’s LAX scored both Hilton sisters — Nicky and Paris — for its bash.
Sleeping bags and folding chairs were already in place Monday in Pasadena, Calif., at prime viewing spots for the 119th Rose Parade and its New Year’s Day floats and marching bands.
About 20 couples decided to be the first to take advantage of New Hampshire’s new civil-unions law with a midnight ceremony on the Statehouse steps in Concord. Snow and freezing temperatures were forecast.
“I don’t have any winter coats with rhinestones and glitter, so I’m just going to dress warmly,” said organizer and participant Jennifer Major of Gilmanton, N.H.
About 1,000 runners had signed up to greet the New Year with the 10th Annual First Night 5K race at Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Nearly a foot of snow had fallen since Sunday, but the race has never been canceled, usually because crews start cleaning the course immediately after a snowfall.
“I think what happens on a day like this is that runners are even more motivated and challenged to run,” said Ray O’Conor, a bank president who runs it almost every year. “I’m not sure what that says about our mental makeup!”
