They’re holding more than their spots in line.
Thousands of revelers from all over the world lined up in Times Square bright and early Tuesday, long before the New Year’s Eve ball drop will ring in 2025.
With rain in the forecast, many flocked 8th Avenue between 47th and 50th streets as early as 7 a.m. to nab a spot that could keep them dry throughout the evening showers.
Even so, there were hardly any umbrellas in sight. Many packed ponchos, while others decided to cut their losses and hunker down with only their winter coats to protect them from the elements.
Valentina Gonzalez traveled from Uruguay to meet with her friends in New York for the ball drop. She’d been camped out in the line prepared to last through the night with pizza boxes and slices of cake from Carlo’s Bakery.
“This has been our lifelong dream, to come here and celebrate the new year in New York City,” Gonzalez said.
“We have plenty of food, no liquid, no water at all. We will probably take turns going to the hotel to use the toilet before we reach the check point, but then that’s it. May God be with us.”
Nearby Rockefeller Center was impassible as thousands aimed to grab seats for their long evening. Many were nearly sprinting down the sidewalks to catch up with the ever-moving line.
Val Valeri-Castro, 20, has never actually seen the ball drop in person, despite living in Queens her entire life. Her husband, originally from Arizona, finally pushed her to see it for the first time this year.
“Knowing that I’ve lived here my whole life, I still feel like a tourist here because I’ve never done this, so it’s cool,” Valeri-Castro said.
“Yeah sure, I’m waiting in line all day, but it’s something I’ve never experienced before.”
The clear pattern among many revelers was to consume as little water as humanely possible to keep from having to abandon their spots and use the restroom. Some, though, were prepped with more creative means to relieve themselves.
Zach Johnson, 18, and Keegan Weeks, 18, trekked from North Carolina together and made unexpected “line friends” with Ethel Crowell, a 30-year-old who they discovered lived just a few towns away from them.
“Well … I brought disposable underwear,” Crowell admited.
“Our strategy: not going,” Johnson added.
“I’m making my vision board next week,” Weeks noted, eagerly looking forward to the New Year and his eventual freedom from the dreaded line.
“My resolution would probably be to drink more water. But definitely not before the ball drops. We’re gonna wait for after.”