If you’re not one of the millions of people planning on heading to Times Square in New York City to watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve, then you are free to watch the ball drop right from the comfort of home! Instead of standing out in the cold, huddled with masses of people all vying for a good spot to watch the festivities, all you need to do is turn on the television! “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2015” will air Wednesday, December 31st on ABC beginning at 8 p.m.

While the traditional countdown to midnight in Times Square will be led live by Ryan Seacrest, Jenny McCarthy will also be live from Times Square with some show-stopping performances from Taylor Swift, Idina Menzel, MAGIC and Florida Georgia Line. Additions performances from Nashville, featuring Gavin DeGraw and Lady Antebellum, and Brooklyn, featuring Elton John will also be broadcasted.

Viewers can also look forward to some very special musical performances from the Billboard Hollywood Party on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2015!” This year, with over 38 performances and over 5 hours of music planned for the big event, Fergie will be hosting, and performing during, the Billboard Hollywood Party along with performances by One Direction, Iggy Azalea, Jason Derulo, Bastille, Charli XCX, Rixton, Meghan Trainor, Pentatonix and more.

Fun facts About the New Year’s Eve Ball:

• The first ever "time-ball" was installed atop England's Royal Observatory at Greenwich in 1833
• 1907 was the first year The Ball dropped from the flagpole in Times Square
• The 1st Ball was made of wood & iron, contained one hundred 25-watt light bulbs, was 5 ft in diameter, and weighed 700 pounds
• Between 1907 and 2014, the only years The Ball hasn’t dropped have been in 1942 and 1943
• This year’s Ball is a geodesic sphere weighing 11,875 pounds and measuring 12 feet in diameter
• The current Ball is illuminated by 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel LEDs
• The Ball is capable of creating a palette of more than 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns

If after reading about all of the great performances and festivities planned for New Year’s Eve in New York City you’re now thinking of heading there in person, be sure to check out our NYE in NYC Guide!

[Source: TimesSquareNYC]

Photo by Anthony Quintano via Wikicommons