When New York Times electrician Walter Palmer suggested dropping a ball from the roof of One Times Square to usher in 1908, little did he know what he'd started. Viewers will be treated to performances from the likes of Megan Thee Stallion as the world gathers to watch the iconic Ball Drop in New York City.
Here's how to watch Ball Drop 2025 online from anywhere with a VPN — and potentially for FREE.
The famous timeball is traditionally raised up to the summit of a flagpole atop One Times Square at 6 p.m. ET on New Year's Eve, where it remains for six hours, before the 60-second descent at 11.59 p.m. ET sharp, complete with a lightshow and a literal ton of confetti.
It's such a phenomenon that it's now become the focal point of not one circus, but a multitude of them. "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" with Ryan Seacrest (and Rita Ora) on ABC remains the default choice, the most popular alternative being "New Year's Eve Live" with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen on CNN.
Both shows incorporate the 60-second countdown and capture the atmosphere at Times Square, and you can read on as we explain how to watch Ball Drop 2025 online and from anywhere.
How to watch Ball Drop 2025 free online
Ball Drop 2025 will be available to live stream for free on TimesSquareNYC.org, TimesSquareBall.net, and each of the websites' associated social media pages.
A live stream with open captions and American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will also be available on YouTube.
Each of these streams will be commercial-free, starting at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT and ending six and a half hours later, at 12:30 a.m. ET / 9:30 p.m. PT.
They'll feature a variety of performances, by the Sino-American Friendship Association (6:06–6:18 p.m. ET), AGNEW (8:03–8:08 p.m. ET), Triad Brass (8:37–8:55 p.m. ET), Flo Rida (9:10–9:29 p.m. ET), and Paul Anka (11:51–11:58 p.m. ET).
However, the headline performance by Megan Thee Stallion (7:05–7:17 p.m. ET) will not be shown on any of these free feeds. For the full experience, you might want to consider Sling TV. Info below.
Watch Ball Drop 2025 from anywhere
Thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network), your usual Ball Drop 2025 live stream should be available to watch no matter where you are. The software allows your devices to appear as if they're back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. Our favorite is NordVPN.
More ways to watch Ball Drop 2025 in the U.S.
As detailed above, there are numerous ways to watch Ball Drop 2025 for free. But if you'd rather have more color in your New Year's Eve viewing, both ABC's "Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve" with Ryan Seacrest and Rita Ora, and CNN's "New Year's Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen" will feature the Times Square Ball Drop. Both shows start at 8 p.m. ET. Full lineups at the bottom of this page.
If you can pull down ABC or CNN with one of the best TV antennas or through your cable plan, you're all set.
Alternatively, ABC and CNN are among the channel line-ups of a good few of our picks for the best streaming services. Those include Sling TV, which offers ABC in select cities. Other options include Fubo, YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV (3-day free trial).
Sling TV is among the best value cable replacements, costing from $45.99/month and half price for your first month. Just be aware that ABC is only available on Sling Blue in select markets.
Fubo is another option. It's pricier but has all of the major networks, including ABC and a 7-day free trial so you don't need to pay up front. Prices usually start from $79.99/month but if you're quick you might just grab $35 off your first month.
Ball Drop 2025 performers
(All times ET)
6:06–6:18 p.m. – Sino-American Friendship Association
7:05–7:17 p.m. – Megan Thee Stallion performance (not available to watch for free)
8:03–8:08 p.m. – AGNEW
8:37–8:55 p.m. – Triad Brass
9:10–9:29 p.m. – Flo Rida
11:51-11:58 p.m. – Paul Anka
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve guests
Carrie Underwood
Megan Moroney
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Alanis Morissette
Reneé Rapp
Dasha
DJ Cassidy
Ja Rule
Fat Joe
Slick Rick & Doug E. Fresh
Ernest
HARDY
Kesha
Laufey
Natasha Bedingfield
T-Pain
Blake Shelton
Luis Fonsi
TLC
New Year's Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen guests
50 Cent
Sting
Meghan Trainor
Shania Twain
Diplo
Lil Jon
Mickey Guyton
Patti LaBelle
Whitney Cummings
Amy Sedaris
Sasheer Zamata
Ziwe
Adam Devine
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Disclaimer
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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