New York City will continue its century-long tradition of dropping the ball during the final countdown on Dec. 31, marking the 115th year of the iconic celebration. The ball was first dropped at Times Square in 1907 and has become a New Year's Eve special ever since. The only time the ceremony was skipped was in 1942 and 1943 due to the war.

According to the Times Square website, the ball is technically a geodesic sphere, weighs nearly 12,000 pounds, and is 12 feet in diameter. It is covered in 2,688 Waterford Crystals along with 32,256 LEDs (light-emitting diodes). The lights help display more than 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns, the website says.

Best viewing and access points: The ball is dropped from a flagpole and descends about 475 feet, according to balldrop.com. This ensures that people standing miles away from the point also get a good look at the ball dropping. "It can best be seen along Broadway, from 43rd Street to 50th Street, and along Seventh Avenue, as far north as 59th Street," as per the Times Square website.

Multiple screens will also be set up for viewers who are far away. The sound system will be set up in the Bowtie area (the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue). The following businesses have a good view of the event:
1. Renaissance New York
2. Marriott Marquis
3. The Knickerbocker
4. Bubba Gump Shrimp Company
5. Olive Garden
6. R Lounge
7. Beast and Butterflies at the M Social
8. Bar 54 at the Hyatt Centric

Livestream: Even though the event is a free-for-all on a first come first serve basis, the area is still limited. Some people still wish to enjoy the event from the comfort of their homes. In addition to cable news, the New Year's celebration will be available for live streaming on the official website. It is unclear if the event stream will also be available on any social media platforms.

Ball drop schedule: The event is scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. on Saturday, however, the ball drop will be the conclusion. There are several artist performances lined up for the six-hour celebration. Celebrities like Jonathan Bennet, Jaymes Vaughn, Jeremy Hassell and Raúl de Molina will take the stage for the hourly countdown. Check the full schedule here.

New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square, in New York City