the real story about Times Square and that Confetti
Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 11:36 am
How to Dump 3,000 Pounds of Confetti on Times Square
From the NYTimes: Dec. 28, 2018
In Times Square, a team of trained volunteers starts the confetti dispersal process from eight different buildings, 20 seconds before the start of the New Year.Johnny Milano for The New York Times
In Times Square, a team of trained volunteers starts the confetti dispersal process from eight different buildings, 20 seconds before the start of the New Year.Johnny Milano for The New York Times
More than a million revelers are expected to celebrate New Years in Times Square. Theyll start gathering in the early afternoon, the hard-core among
them wearing diapers so as not to lose their spots. No matter where they stand, however, they are certain to be covered in some of the 3,000 pounds of confetti that will be released 20 seconds before midnight.
The confetti drop started in 1992, when it was intended to lighten up the tone of the event. Up until that point, it had just been a drunken brawl, said Treb Heining, who managed the confetti that first year and has been doing it ever since. It was so seedy.
The confetti was an instant success. We literally saw it transform the whole Times Square area before our eyes, Mr. Heining said, which is what they wanted to clean the place up.
Of course, now theres a different kind of cleanup involved.
Mr. Heining, who works primarily in balloons (his company designs and markets balloons for Disney theme parks) expects this Times Square celebration, his 26th, to go seamlessly. This is because of a process that begins almost a year in advance.
On Dec. 29, the festive papers are transported to Times Square in unmarked, 45-pound boxes.John Taggart for The New York Times
January 1 Applications go out for next years Confetti Crew. (Mr. Heining calls the volunteers dispersal engineers.) Though he says that 50 people would be enough, he enlists twice that number in order to give more people the opportunity. Each year, roughly half the volunteers are returnees.
July Mr. Heining typically has enough entries, but he continues the selection process through the summer. Though he says there isnt a specific type of person hes looking for, theres got to be some dedication because were not messing around up there.
October The Confetti Crew list is finalized by Oct. 1. Mr. Heining, who lives in California, travels to New York City to meet with the Times Square Allianceand to visit the eight participating buildings.
November 30 The Wishing Wall is installed in Times Square, allowing
visitors to write New Years wishes directly on the confetti that will be dispersed (not thrown). Those who are unable to visit the Wall can submit their entries via Twitter or Instagram (#ConfettiWish).
Early December Mr. Heining finalizes the logistics, including buying insurance for the event and hiring elevator operators for the buildings that need them.
The confetti drop started in 1992, when it was intended to lighten up the tone of the event. Up until that point, it had just been a drunken brawl, said the man who organizes the effort every year.Christopher Lee for The New York Times
The confetti drop started in 1992, when it was intended to lighten up the tone of the event. Up until that point, it had just been a drunken brawl, said the man who organizes the effort every year.Christopher Lee for The New York Times
December 29 The Confetti Crew, after gathering for breakfast, unloads two truckloads of confetti in Times Square, about 3,000 pounds total. Then, through the bustling streets, they deliver the unmarked, 45-pound boxes to the participating buildings. The crowd has no idea who we are or what were doing, said Mr. Heining. The pieces are also bigger than youd expect: roughly two inches by two inches and in an incredible array of shapes.
December 30 Following instructions from the Police Department, the Sanitation Department removes the 160 garbage cans around Times Square and replaces them with 200 cardboard boxes. Throughout New Years Eve and until the area is clean (usually around noon on New Years Day), the department is responsible for 57 square blocks surrounding Times Square.
New Years Eve, 7 p.m. The crew meets for an hourlong orientation, where they learn the correct technique for dispersing the confetti, which Mr. Heining says you have to see to fully appreciate. However, if the dispersal engineers do it correctly, he said their arms should be sore by the end of the night: Its a very violent act.
New Years Eve, 8:30 p.m. Now stationed at the top of their designated buildings, the dispersal engineers fluff their confetti, take pictures from the roof, and play board games as they await the moment of truth. Drinking is prohibited.
New Years Eve, 9 p.m. Mr. Heining makes his first radio check. In 1992, no one had cellphones, so he had to rely exclusively on his Mickey Mouse watch. Now, coordinating the timing is a bit easier.
The confetti is made from recycled material that would otherwise be discarded, and all of it is biodegradable.Jeenah Moon for The New York Times
New Years Eve 11 p.m. More than 100 sanitation workers begin their eight-hour shifts. Using street sweepers, backpack blowers, and push brooms, they will remove the 57 tons of material thats left behind, none of which is recycled. The confetti thrown at midnight is made from recycled material that would otherwise be discarded, and all of it is biodegradable.
New Years Eve, 11:30 p.m. Mr. Heining hits peak nerves and starts pacing. This is when he starts to consider anything hes forgotten, which he reports has never happened, except for the year he didnt call his mother in California to wish her a happy early New Years. The final half-hour, he says, seems like it goes by in 10 minutes.
New Years Eve, 11:59:40 Twenty seconds before midnight, Mr. Heining gives the order, and the confetti starts to fly. Theres something inherently naughty about it in our childhood minds, he says about the dispersal. Youre throwing all this stuff out, and its O.K.
New Years Day, 12 a.m. The ball finishes dropping as 3,000 pounds of confetti descend on Times Square. Theres no real photographs or video or
anything that can do it justice when you see it with the naked eye, Mr. Heining says. I still get goose bumps.
New Years Day, 12:30 a.m. The confetti is still swirling. The heat from the crowd initially pushes the confetti up, higher than the buildings, which is why youll see it anywhere you walk on the island the next day.
A version of this article appears in print on Dec. 30, 2018, on Page MB5 of the New York edition with the headline: Dumping 3,000 Pounds of Confetti Doesnt Just Happen.
From the NYTimes: Dec. 28, 2018
In Times Square, a team of trained volunteers starts the confetti dispersal process from eight different buildings, 20 seconds before the start of the New Year.Johnny Milano for The New York Times
In Times Square, a team of trained volunteers starts the confetti dispersal process from eight different buildings, 20 seconds before the start of the New Year.Johnny Milano for The New York Times
More than a million revelers are expected to celebrate New Years in Times Square. Theyll start gathering in the early afternoon, the hard-core among
them wearing diapers so as not to lose their spots. No matter where they stand, however, they are certain to be covered in some of the 3,000 pounds of confetti that will be released 20 seconds before midnight.
The confetti drop started in 1992, when it was intended to lighten up the tone of the event. Up until that point, it had just been a drunken brawl, said Treb Heining, who managed the confetti that first year and has been doing it ever since. It was so seedy.
The confetti was an instant success. We literally saw it transform the whole Times Square area before our eyes, Mr. Heining said, which is what they wanted to clean the place up.
Of course, now theres a different kind of cleanup involved.
Mr. Heining, who works primarily in balloons (his company designs and markets balloons for Disney theme parks) expects this Times Square celebration, his 26th, to go seamlessly. This is because of a process that begins almost a year in advance.
On Dec. 29, the festive papers are transported to Times Square in unmarked, 45-pound boxes.John Taggart for The New York Times
January 1 Applications go out for next years Confetti Crew. (Mr. Heining calls the volunteers dispersal engineers.) Though he says that 50 people would be enough, he enlists twice that number in order to give more people the opportunity. Each year, roughly half the volunteers are returnees.
July Mr. Heining typically has enough entries, but he continues the selection process through the summer. Though he says there isnt a specific type of person hes looking for, theres got to be some dedication because were not messing around up there.
October The Confetti Crew list is finalized by Oct. 1. Mr. Heining, who lives in California, travels to New York City to meet with the Times Square Allianceand to visit the eight participating buildings.
November 30 The Wishing Wall is installed in Times Square, allowing
visitors to write New Years wishes directly on the confetti that will be dispersed (not thrown). Those who are unable to visit the Wall can submit their entries via Twitter or Instagram (#ConfettiWish).
Early December Mr. Heining finalizes the logistics, including buying insurance for the event and hiring elevator operators for the buildings that need them.
The confetti drop started in 1992, when it was intended to lighten up the tone of the event. Up until that point, it had just been a drunken brawl, said the man who organizes the effort every year.Christopher Lee for The New York Times
The confetti drop started in 1992, when it was intended to lighten up the tone of the event. Up until that point, it had just been a drunken brawl, said the man who organizes the effort every year.Christopher Lee for The New York Times
December 29 The Confetti Crew, after gathering for breakfast, unloads two truckloads of confetti in Times Square, about 3,000 pounds total. Then, through the bustling streets, they deliver the unmarked, 45-pound boxes to the participating buildings. The crowd has no idea who we are or what were doing, said Mr. Heining. The pieces are also bigger than youd expect: roughly two inches by two inches and in an incredible array of shapes.
December 30 Following instructions from the Police Department, the Sanitation Department removes the 160 garbage cans around Times Square and replaces them with 200 cardboard boxes. Throughout New Years Eve and until the area is clean (usually around noon on New Years Day), the department is responsible for 57 square blocks surrounding Times Square.
New Years Eve, 7 p.m. The crew meets for an hourlong orientation, where they learn the correct technique for dispersing the confetti, which Mr. Heining says you have to see to fully appreciate. However, if the dispersal engineers do it correctly, he said their arms should be sore by the end of the night: Its a very violent act.
New Years Eve, 8:30 p.m. Now stationed at the top of their designated buildings, the dispersal engineers fluff their confetti, take pictures from the roof, and play board games as they await the moment of truth. Drinking is prohibited.
New Years Eve, 9 p.m. Mr. Heining makes his first radio check. In 1992, no one had cellphones, so he had to rely exclusively on his Mickey Mouse watch. Now, coordinating the timing is a bit easier.
The confetti is made from recycled material that would otherwise be discarded, and all of it is biodegradable.Jeenah Moon for The New York Times
New Years Eve 11 p.m. More than 100 sanitation workers begin their eight-hour shifts. Using street sweepers, backpack blowers, and push brooms, they will remove the 57 tons of material thats left behind, none of which is recycled. The confetti thrown at midnight is made from recycled material that would otherwise be discarded, and all of it is biodegradable.
New Years Eve, 11:30 p.m. Mr. Heining hits peak nerves and starts pacing. This is when he starts to consider anything hes forgotten, which he reports has never happened, except for the year he didnt call his mother in California to wish her a happy early New Years. The final half-hour, he says, seems like it goes by in 10 minutes.
New Years Eve, 11:59:40 Twenty seconds before midnight, Mr. Heining gives the order, and the confetti starts to fly. Theres something inherently naughty about it in our childhood minds, he says about the dispersal. Youre throwing all this stuff out, and its O.K.
New Years Day, 12 a.m. The ball finishes dropping as 3,000 pounds of confetti descend on Times Square. Theres no real photographs or video or
anything that can do it justice when you see it with the naked eye, Mr. Heining says. I still get goose bumps.
New Years Day, 12:30 a.m. The confetti is still swirling. The heat from the crowd initially pushes the confetti up, higher than the buildings, which is why youll see it anywhere you walk on the island the next day.
A version of this article appears in print on Dec. 30, 2018, on Page MB5 of the New York edition with the headline: Dumping 3,000 Pounds of Confetti Doesnt Just Happen.