Get ready for 2026 with a Times Square ball drop guide: when the countdown starts, how to watch, confirmed performers including Diana Ross, and why this marks the ball's final year.

The countdown is officially on, with less than six hours until it’s time to ring in the new year and the annual New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square.

After the countdown, the Times Square Ball will be lit up in honor of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.