Новогодние сбросы и традиции по всему миру

List of objects dropped on New Year's Eve
On New Year's Eve, many localities in the United States and elsewhere mark the beginning of a new year through the raising or lowering of an object. Many of these events are patterned on festivities that have been held at New York City's Times Square since 1908, where a large crystal ball is lowered down a pole atop One Times Square (beginning its descent at 11:59:00 p. m. local time, and concluding at midnight). In turn, the event was inspired by the time balls used by ship navigators in the 19th century to calibrate their chronometers. Whilst some of these events use a ball in imitation of Times Square, many "drops" utilize objects that represent an aspect of local culture, geography, or history. Ball drops are by far the most common in, but not exclusive to, the United States.

Hong Kong: From 1993 to 2015, in imitation of its New York namesake, the Times Square shopping centre "dropped" an apple at its plaza using of electronic signage. Quezon City, Philippines: A star is dropped at Eastwood City.

St. George's, Bermuda: A papier mâché Bermuda onion covered in Christmas lights is dropped.

Dewey Beach, Delaware: A skimboarder is dropped.

Note: The Florida Panhandle is in the Central Time Zone. Brooksville, Florida: A 90 kilogrammes (200 pound) tangerine was dropped 12 meters (40 feet) during the countdown to midnight until 2009. The tangerine drop was an emblem of the citrus industry that once thrived in Brooksville. Fort Lauderdale, Florida: As a symbol of the city's nickname "The Venice of America", an anchor is dropped. Key West (Sloppy Joe's Bar): The Key West Conch Drop, where a six foot Queen Conch Shell drops 6 meters (20 feet) to the top of the bar to usher in the New Year, is held annually for the island's official New Year celebrations. Key West (801 Saloon): The 801 Saloon, a local gay bar, drops a ruby slipper with drag queen Gary "Sushi" Marion inside each year. Miami: "The Big Orange"—a 35 feet (11 m) illuminated sign of a cartoon orange wearing sunglasses—is raised up the side of the InterContinental Miami hotel. Orlando, Florida: An orange is dropped. The Annual Church Street Entertainment New Year's Eve Street Party includes "a huge video wall, confetti cannons, fireworks, and the tradition of the Orange Drop high above Church Street". Sarasota, Florida: A glowing pineapple is dropped at midnight to ring in the new year in southwest Florida.

Atlanta: A peach is lowered as part of the annual Peach Drop, which had been held at Underground Atlanta from 1989 to 2017 and 2019. For 2018, the event moved to Woodruff Park. The 2020, 2021, and 2022 editions were cancelled due to event improvements and the COVID 19 pandemic; However, the event successfully returned for 2023. Brunswick, Georgia: Bob the Shrimp is lowered by the local fire department during the annual shrimp drop, a new tradition starting 2023 at the Mary Ross Waterfront Park. Cornelia, Georgia: Cornelia hosts a "Little Red Apple" Drop and Dance in honor of the region's apple growers. The "Big Red Apple" located at the train depot is not dropped. Duluth, Georgia: A disco ball called the Soaring Spirit Ball is raised. Gainesville, Georgia: The "Chuck the Chicken" Drop started in 2009 to benefit the Humane Society of Northeast Georgia. Macon, Georgia: A 6 foot wide lighted ball with metal cherry blossoms and pink lights is dropped in honor of the International Cherry Blossom Festival. Marietta, Georgia: For 2016 an aerialist from the Proia Dance Project was lowered from a suspended cube approaching midnight. Perry, Georgia: A buzzard is lowered. Savannah, Georgia: Since 2014, the Savannah Riverfront has hosted Up the Cup on River Street, featuring the raising of a to go cup. Tallapoosa, Georgia: A stuffed opossum named Spencer is lowered. Unadilla, Georgia: A hog is lowered at midnight. Winder, Georgia: A Jug Drop takes place at the Barrow County Museum.

Fort Wayne, Indiana: A ball drop debuted in 2016. The original drop was a projection which prompted a group of engineers to volunteer their time in creating a low poly ball 8 ft. in diameter, covered in translucent acrylic plastic, and lit with over 380,000 lumens of LEDs. As of 2017, the ball was hoisted 80 feet over the corner of Baker and Ewing St., and lowered by crane. Indianapolis: An Indy car was dropped beginning in 2015. Kokomo, Indiana: A 70 pound aluminum ball with 34,000 lights is dropped during The Kokomo Downtown Association New Year's Eve Celebration. Muncie, Indiana: A ball is dropped. Vincennes, Indiana (near Terre Haute): The giant 18 foot, 500 pound steel and foam Watermelon Ball is raised 100 feet in the air during the 60 second countdown at midnight, then the replica releases 11 real locally grown watermelons.

Prestonsburg, Kentucky: A star is raised.

Bangor, Maine: A beach ball covered in Christmas lights has been thrown off the top of a local restaurant since 2005. Eastport, Maine: A sardine is lowered in a nod to the area's history in the herring fishing and canning industry. In honor of the nearby Canadian town of Saint Andrews, New Brunswick (situated across Passamaquoddy Bay), a red maple leaf is also lowered for 11 p. m ET (midnight Atlantic Time). Both objects were created by sculptor Bill Schaefer of East Machias. Kennebunk, Maine: A wild blueberry ball has dropped from the town's First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church on Main Street since 2015. Machias, Maine: A giant plastic lobster, holding a shovel and blueberries is lowered. It took place at Pat's Pizza, during 2016.

Baltimore: A disco ball is dropped. Berlin, Maryland: A ball has been lowered since 2017; since 2018, one drop was held at 6:00 p. m. (midnight in Berlin, Germany) for families, followed by another at midnight. In January 2024, the town decided to cancel future midnight drops for budgetary reasons, after the 6:00 p. m. event outperformed the midnight drop in attendance. Easton, Maryland: A red crab is dropped. Frederick, Maryland: A giant key is dropped above Carroll Creek. Havre de Grace, Maryland: An illuminated duck has been dropped since 2000. Ocean City, Maryland: An illuminated beach ball is dropped. Princess Anne, Maryland: A stuffed muskrat in a top hat and bow tie named Marshall P. Muskrat is dropped. Hagerstown, Maryland: A giant doughnut is dropped in honor of Krumpe's Do Nuts, a family owned bakery that has been in business since 1934.

Ann Arbor, Michigan: For 2014, a lit hockey puck was "dropped" in honor of the NHL Winter Classic game occurring on New Year's Day at Michigan Stadium. Detroit: A sculpture known as the "D Burst" (which is adorned with a giant letter "D") is lowered at Campus Martius Park. Grand Rapids, Michigan: A six foot diameter steel ball is dropped for the WZZM Ball Drop in Rosa Parks Circle. The ball was built by GLC Metal Fabricators Inc. in Ludington with help from Harsco, covered in LED lights done by Tye's Signs in Scottville. A crane raises the ball 160 feet into the air before lowering it slowly into its position for the countdown. Kalamazoo, Michigan: A recyclable ball has been dropped since 2009. Ludington, Michigan: A 6’ 5” diameter ball lit up with thousands of lights is lowered on a countdown to midnight. Marquette, Michigan: A lighted ball is dropped from the Masonic Center along Washington St.
Royal Oak, Michigan: A ball is dropped at midnight. Traverse City, Michigan: A cherry is dropped at midnight; the events are televised on WMNN LD. Wyandotte, Michigan: A 1,000 pound lit steel ball is dropped at both 9pm and midnight next to The Clock Tower downtown.

Saint Paul, Minnesota: The world's largest fishing bobber has been lowered at The Midway Saloon since 2022.

Hackettstown, New Jersey: A giant M&M. Hammonton, New Jersey: A blueberry was dropped for 2018. Passaic, New Jersey: A piñata has been lowered from the 663 Main Ave—the city's tallest building—since 2018. Point Pleasant, New Jersey: "The Millennium Mossbunker"—a 10 feet (3 m) fish made of wood and mylar—was dropped for the year 2000. Seaside Heights, New Jersey: Nicole Polizzi (Snooki) from MTV's Seaside Heights based reality series Jersey Shore was lowered inside a "hamster ball" in 2011 for the network's New Year's Eve special. While the drop was originally to be held inside MTV's studios at Times Square alongside its more famous counterpart, city officials asked MTV not to do so.

New York holds many elaborate drops, particularly the ball drop at Times Square and at the Electric Tower in Buffalo. The state comes in second in America for the most items dropped on New Year's Eve. Binghamton, New York: A 6 foot lighted ball is dropped. Brocton, New York: A 14' diameter ball is dropped from a height of 165' in front of the Saint Stephen's Hotel at the Arches in downtown Brocton. This is reportedly the highest & largest ball drop in the country & the second highest in the world, according to the Dunkirk Observer. Buffalo, New York: A lighted ball is dropped, at one time along with a Ford Edge automobile. The Buffalo Ball Drop (formerly the 97 Rock Ball Drop) is the second largest in the country, with 40,000 in attendance during a typical year. The Buffalo Ball Drop is held annually from the Electric Tower in Roosevelt Plaza. It was nearly canceled in 2010 (due mainly to the effects of the late 2000s recession) before a last minute sponsorship drive brought in the necessary funds to successfully carry out the festivities. The event is broadcast on both 97 Rock (through the radio) and on ABC 7 Buffalo (on television), usually in split screen so that the viewers may see both the Times Square, and Electric Tower ball drops simultaneously. Cheektowaga, New York: A ball is dropped during the day on New Year's Eve to offer an alternative for families. Hamburg, New York: A ball is dropped. New York City (Times Square): In its current iteration since 2008–09, a ball covered in 2,688 Waterford Crystal panels has been lowered from a pole atop One Times Square. The Times Square Ball was originally made of wood and previously metal; during the 1980s, the ball was decorated with red lightbulbs and a "stem" to make it resemble an apple (alluding to the city's nickname, "the Big Apple"). The ball used to be lit by halogen lamps, but LED has been used since 2008. An enlarged version of the new LED equipped ball has been used since 2009, which has since been displayed atop the tower year round. New York City (rotating locations, Greenwood Heights for 2011): A giant lighted ukulele, dropped by "Sonic Uke" (a local ukulele playing duo), has been dropped each year in a different location since 2004–05. Niagara Falls, New York: A ten foot Gibson Guitar is dropped from a specially designed 120 foot scaffold at the stroke of midnight at the Hard Rock Cafe. It draws an anticipated crowd of 15,000 to 20,000. North Tonawanda, New York: A ball is dropped as part of New Year's on the Canal. The ball drop was discontinued in 2018 because of dangerously cold temperatures. Watertown, New York: A beach ball is dropped at noon New Year's Eve, which kicks off the city's season long winter celebration, Snowtown USA. White Plains, New York: A ball drops from a crane on the corner of Main Street and Renaissance Square in downtown. The urban festival attracts 25,000 residents of Westchester County, New York. Wilson, New York: Two balls are dropped, one at 9p. m. and the other at midnight. Black Creek, North Carolina: A large red heart drop represents "A Small Town with a Big Heart". Brasstown, North Carolina: A plexiglas pyramid containing a living opossum is lowered from the roof of Clay Logan's convenience store for The Possum Drop. The possum is turned loose at the end of the celebration. Despite these measures, the event has been criticised by animal rights activists, particularly PETA, who have a history of objections to the event. The event resumed in 2014. After PETA protests, organizers announced in January 2018 they would be stepping down and retiring from organizing the event, saying that "it's a hard job to do" and "it's time to move on." Burgaw, North Carolina: A blueberry drops in reference to the town's annual blueberry festival. Eastover, North Carolina: A three foot tall, thirty pound wooden flea is dropped. Charlotte, North Carolina: A lighted crown is raised, representing Charlotte's nickname as "The Queen City". Charlotte Center City Partners produces the festivities. Marion, North Carolina: A five foot tall illuminated gold nugget drops into a large doughnut. The event is hosted by the Marion Rotary Club with support and sponsorship from many local organizations and businesses. Morehead City, North Carolina: A "kids' crab pot drop" is lowered at 6:00 p. m. local time during December 31, 2017. Mount Olive, North Carolina: The New Year's Eve Pickle is lowered down the Mt. Olive Pickle Company flagpole at 7pm EST, midnight Greenwich Mean Time. Raleigh, North Carolina: A 900 pound copper and steel acorn, designed by sculptor David Benson to celebrate the city's 1992 Bicentennial and Raleigh's nickname, “The City of Oaks”, is lowered by a crane. The event has since become one of the busiest New Year's celebrations in the United States with roughly 40,000 attending each year and an attendance record of 80,000 set in 2012. In years when the Carolina Hurricanes play at home on New Year's Eve, PNC Arena holds its own New Year's Eve "puck drop" inside the arena for fans that attend the game.

Chagrin Falls, Ohio: A ball of popcorn is dropped. Cincinnati: A flying pig is "flown", not dropped, confirming there is at least one occasion "when pigs fly". Elmore, Ohio: A sausage is dropped. Lakeside, Ohio: A doughnut is dropped. Marion, Ohio: In the home of the annual Marion Popcorn Festival and the home of the Wyandot Popcorn Company, a giant ball of popcorn is dropped. New Carlisle, Ohio: A 7.5 foot, 200 pound aluminum ball is lowered by 90 feet at midnight. Port Clinton, Ohio: A walleye fish named "Captain Wylie Walleye" is dropped. Yellow Springs, Ohio: A ball is dropped.

Niagara Falls, Ontario: The elevator of the Skylon Tower is raised. The event, and an associated concert, was televised by Global through the 2015 celebration, then by the CBC in 2020. The event drew 65,000 spectators for the 2013 celebration, which was headlined by Dragonette, Hedley, and Nelly Furtado.

Gatlinburg, Tennessee: A ball is dropped. Knoxville, Tennessee: A ball is dropped on Market Square.

Richmond, Virginia: A copy of the Times Square Ball is raised rather than dropped, on the Byrd Theater in Carytown. Roanoke, Virginia: A 10 foot illuminated star is dropped. Charlottesville, Virginia: A ball is dropped. Fredericksburg, Virginia: An illuminated pear is dropped. South Hill, Virginia A 6 foot tall illuminated Star is dropped from 80 foot tall flag pole in the center of town at the Farmer's Market Square. Chincoteague, Virginia: The Pony Island Horseshoe Drop, on the Downtown Waterfront Park in Chincoteague, Virginia.

Bluefield, West Virginia: an illuminated lemon sculpture is dropped. This references the town's nickname “Nature’s Air Conditioned City” and its tradition of giving out free lemonade when temperatures reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mobile, Alabama: A 600 pound, lit Moon Pie is lowered from the RSA Tower in the "MoonPie Over Mobile" festivities sponsored by Chattanooga Bakery. Festivities also include a Mardi Gras styled parade, as moon pies are a traditional "throw" at Mardi Gras events in Mobile. Fairhope, Alabama: A ball is dropped. The event was cancelled in 2010, but resumed in time to ring in 2011. Wetumpka, Alabama: A meteorite is dropped at the Old Courthouse at 11pm Central Time in honor of the meteorite that hit the River City. At the stroke of midnight, a big fireworks display takes place over the river. Dothan, Alabama: Nicknamed "The Peanut Capital of the World", this city has an annual "Peanut Drop". The Peanut Drop consisted of a giant peanut shaped balloon bag (not to be mistaken as a massive phallus) that has also drawn controversial attention to news organizations around the word such as Russia Today
Samson, Alabama: In 2022–23, the city introduced a drop using a tin of snuff tobacco. The drop alludes to the city's nickname of "Snuff City", stemming from an incident where a train containing a shipment of Rooster brand snuff was parked at the town's depot for an extended period of time.

Fayetteville, Arkansas: A hog is dropped. Fort Smith, Arkansas: KISR sponsors a ball drop.

Destin, Florida: A ball is pulled over Destin Harbor. Fort Walton Beach, Florida: A ball is dropped. Panama City, Florida: An illuminated, 800 pound beach ball descends from a tower 12 stories high at midnight. At 8:30pm there is a fireworks celebration and a "family ball drop" with 7,000 beach balls. Pensacola, Florida: A pelican is dropped.

Chicago: A star was (formerly) raised. Des Plaines, Illinois: A diamond is dropped. Rockford, Illinois: A ball is lowered towards the Discovery Center building.

Hammond / Whiting, Indiana (outside Chicago): A 10 foot Illuminated pierogi will be lowered 90 feet during a countdown to midnight. The Pierogi Drop is sponsored by Knights of Columbus Council 1696 and has been occurring since 2016. Whiting is known for the annual Pierogi Fest which occurs the last weekend of July. Tell City, Indiana: An apple with an arrow through it (symbolizing Tell City's namesake, William Tell) is dropped at City Hall Park.

Cedar Falls, Iowa: A large cedar is lowered by a chain.

Manhattan, Kansas: "The Little Apple", an apple shaped aluminum ball, is lowered. The drop has most recently been held outside Kite's Bar & Grill.

New Orleans: A fleur de lis is lowered at Jackson Square. Until 2008, a gumbo pot was dropped. From 2017 to 2023, the television special Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve has televised the drop and concert acts from the city as part of a Central Time segment of the special.

Columbus: An illuminated 10 foot wide by 10 foot tall lit aluminum ball is hoisted over College Street 100 feet high as part of the "Having a Ball Downtown Block Party". Festivities were broadcast live on WCBI until 2012. Hattiesburg: A replica of the original "Hub Sign" is lowered in Hattiesburg's historic downtown district. The original 4 story "Hub Sign" stood atop a downtown building for 35 years (1912 c.1947) and served as a symbol of Hattiesburg's heritage as the hub of the Gulf South. Jackson: as of 2022, Jackson drops a magnolia.

Kansas City, Missouri: Michael "The Doughboy" Maslak, the longest tenured improviser at the ComedyCity improv theater, is draped in lights and dropped by members of the troupe.

Bartlesville, Oklahoma: An olive is dropped. Oklahoma City: A ball raising was formerly held as part of Arts Council OKC's annual "Opening Night". The event itself was discontinued after 2023. Tulsa: The Tulsa Ball Drop, held annually in Brookside, a district famous for its nightlife, features live music, performances, and a street party.

Memphis, Tennessee: A mirrored ball is raised since 2020; previous to that, guitar was dropped. Nashville, Tennessee: An 80 foot Guitar Drop took place at Nashville's Hard Rock Cafe during Music City's Bash On Broadway. In 2011 the partnership ended with Hard Rock Cafe and the guitar was replaced by a 15 foot tall music note. The 2020–21 event did not take place because of the COVID 19 pandemic.

Austin, Texas: Families in the Austin Woods neighborhood traditionally celebrate the new year with large illuminated new year's balls hung from trees, which are lowered at varying times during New Year's Eve. Downtown, a Lone Star was dropped until 2006, then replaced with a simple mirrored ball. Houston: A star representing the Lone Star State was raised at midnight. No celebration was held in 2019. There is also a Noon Ball Drop at the Children's Museum of Houston for families to celebrate New Year's Noon. McAllen, Texas: A giant mirrored ball descends just before midnight. The first orb for 2008 was six feet in diameter, but in 2009 McAllen's big bash was expanded to include a bigger crowd (10,000 attended), a bigger party space and the bigger "Texas sized" ball used until 2014. This event was last staged in 2014–15 and the event was axed in 2015 due to budgetary problems. An attempt was made to resurrect the event for 2017–18, but failed because of a lack of permit. San Antonio: The elevator on the Tower of the Americas was raised until 2013.

Plymouth, Wisconsin: Plymouth drops an 80 pound decorated cheese wedge, the newest Wisconsin cheese, from a 100 ft. ladder truck in a tribute to the region's dairy industry and dairy products. The Plymouth Arts Center hosts the annual “Build Your Own New Year’s Party” next to the Creamery Building's parking lot where "The Big Cheese Drop" takes place. Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin: A carp (real but dead) caught by local fishers and weighing between 25 and 30 pounds is lowered. A carp was chosen to represent the area's fishing industry and because the carp is considered one of the luckiest fish in Chinese culture. The carp, nicknamed “Lucky”, is lowered onto a throne. Each “Lucky” has a tree planted where it is buried with a commemorative plaque listing the carp's name and year. Sister Bay, Wisconsin: A cherry shaped ball is lowered at midnight.

Boise, Idaho: Since 2013, a giant potato was dropped from the US Bank building in downtown Boise. For 2016, the drop moved to the Idaho State Capitol building, and the organizers successfully crowdfunded a new "Glowtato" with internal lighting. KTVB televises the festivities most years. Emmett, Idaho: Since 2016, a cherry has been raised. Twin Falls, Idaho: Since 2002, a metal ball, bought at auction for $14 by Dave Woodhead, owner of the former bar Woody's, has been dropped from a pair of grain elevators. The low budget event attracted a cult following: later editions also switched from a manual pulley to using a 1961 Ford Econoline truck to lower the ball. Following the lease of the bar to new owners, the event was placed on hiatus for 2014, but returned for 2015 in partnership with the new owners. Woodhead acknowledged the drop's inclusion on lists of New Year's Eve drops on Mental Floss and Wikipedia as a sign of notoriety for the event.

Las Cruces, New Mexico: A 19 foot illuminated chrome chili pepper is dropped.

Cheyenne, Wyoming: Drops a ball at midnight.

Orange County, California: An orange is dropped at Disneyland. Sacramento, California: A diamond shaped ball was dropped in 2009, but this was discontinued in 2010. A proposal to revive the ball drop for 2013 was rejected. South Lake Tahoe, California: A gondola is lowered at midnight Eastern Time.

In 2020, The Strat in Las Vegas dropped a contest winner in a lighted suit from its SkyJump Las Vegas ride at midnight to welcome 2021. The ride is normally closed on New Year's Eve due to the tower's participation in the America's Party fireworks across the Las Vegas Strip (cancelled due to the COVID 19 pandemic).

La Grande, Oregon: Since 2015, a lighted ball has been lowered atop the John Howard Building in downtown La Grande, accompanied by a larger block party.

Seattle: The elevator of the Space Needle is raised. Toledo, Washington: A Giant Cheese Ball is dropped.