New Look for Times Square Ball

23/11/2007

The famous New Year's Eve Ball for the celebrations in Times Square, New York, has been fitted with LEDs for the first time in its 100 year history. Coloured LEDs illuminate the crystalline triangular facets that make up the panels of the Ball, while white LEDs highlight the skeleton of the geodesic shape.

Focus Lighting, the New York-based company that created the lighting design and programming for the Ball, says that the challenge for the 100th anniversary re-design of the New Year’s Eve Ball was to create the appearance of a sparkling gem in the sky above Times Square for the benefit of the one million party-goers below and the one billion television viewers worldwide.

The 600 light bulbs on the previous Ball were replaced by 9,576 Philips Luxeon LEDs. The LEDs created bright vibrant colours, but these colours were muddled by the multiple layers of refraction from hundreds of crystal triangles.

The result of these new lighting methods, combined with the advanced crystal cutting technique, LED lighting technology, and flexibility of the control systems, created a fresh look for the 100th anniversary of the Ball. This New Year’s Eve the Ball will be brighter and more colourful than ever before.