NEW YORK, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Final preparations are being made in Times Square for New York City's iconic New Year's Eve celebration, including the raising and testing of the 12-foot diameter, Waterford crystal-encrusted ball that will drop at midnight.
Workers installed the Times Square Ball on Tuesday, raising it up the 130-foot pole at One Times Square where it'll sit until the countdown to 2015 begins.
Brent Shafer, the CEO of Philips North America, flipped a giant switch to test the 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel LED lights that embellish the ball, and things seemed to have gone off without a hitch.
Some facts about the 2015 Times Square Ball:
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-- It weighs 11,875 pounds and is covered with a total of 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles.
-- The ball -- made of iron and wood -- was first lowered in Times Square in 1907.
-- The ball is able to display a palette of more than 16 million colors and billions of patterns for a kaleidoscopic effect.
-- The design of the Waterford Crystals reflect two themes this year.
"For Times Square 2015, 288 of the Waterford triangles introduce the new Gift of Fortitude design utilizing diamond cuts on either side of a crystal pillar to represent the inner attributes of resolve, courage and spirit necessary to triumph over adversity," the Times Square Ball website says. "The remaining 2,400 crystal triangles feature the Gift of Imagination design with a series of intricate wedge cuts that are mirrored reflections of each other inspiring our imagination."
Earlier this month, workers installed the giant, seven-foot-tall "2015" sign that accompanies the Times Square Ball.
