The iconic Times Square ball in New York City will descend on a date other than New Year’s Eve for the first time as part of a historic Independence Day celebration marking America’s 250th birthday.
The celebration will feature eight ball drops marking midnight across every U.S. time zone and inhabited territory, beginning in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands and ending in American Samoa, according to an announcement by the organizer, America250.
The organizer said the rolling countdown is designed to unite Americans across the country during the nation’s semiquincentennial celebration.
The eight ball drops are part of the inaugural Giving 4th Broadcast Benefit Show, a live special from One Times Square in New York City.
People celebrate after the Times Square rolling ball dropped to mark Fourth of July, as the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary on Independence Day, in New York, U.S. July 4, 2026.
Angelina Katsanis/Reuters
The event also launches Giving 4th, a nationwide initiative encouraging Americans to support charitable organizations and volunteer in their communities in honor of the country’s 250th birthday.
The celebration begins with the first Times Square ball drop at 10 a.m. ET on July 3, marking midnight in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
The traditional 11:59 p.m. ET countdown to the ball drop at midnight in New York will serve as the centerpiece of the nationwide celebration before the countdown continues through the remaining U.S. time zones and territories.
The final ball drop is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET on July 4, marking midnight in American Samoa.
-ABC News’ Shafiq Najib
