Rain fails to dampen New Year confetti test in Times Square

By Euronews

Published on 30/12/2016 - 10:22

The annual air worthiness test for the all-important confetti to be used in New York's New Year's Eve celebrations took place in wet conditions.

They have been gearing up for New Year in New York, where the Big Apple’s big spectacle in Times Square is a global event.

Rehearsals involve everything: not just the marching bands, but also the practice of throwing over a ton of paper into the air.

This year, rainfall meant the traditional confetti air worthiness test was especially important.

“We’ve got to be ready in all weather conditions. And there is nothing worse than soggy confetti. And yet, if you see the video and the pictures, that confetti flew beautifully even under the worst conditions. We are so ready for December 31,” said Jeffrey Strauss, the co-producer of the Times Square New Year’s Eve events.

The confetti test passes with flying colors! We're ready to ring in the #newyear with PlanetFitness</a> in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TimesSquare?src=hash">#TimesSquare</a> on December 31st. <a href="https://t.co/QLQ3FBwNER">pic.twitter.com/QLQ3FBwNER</a></p>— Times Square (TimesSquareNYC) December 29, 2016

As every year, visitors have been writing New Year’s wishes onto the confetti paper.

The organisers say if tossed properly, favourable wind conditions mean those goodwill messages could stay airborne for up to ten minutes before meeting their inevitable fate – sodden and trodden underfoot.