Here's a rundown of scheduled events for the evening as provided by the
Times Square BID:

For a quick listing of online and television coverage, click here.

Schedule for Times Square

4:00 pm

The Revelers
Revelers start arriving late in the afternoon on New Year's Eve. By approximately 4:00 pm, the Bow Tie of Times Square (42nd to 47th Sts. between Broadway & 7th Ave.) is fully closed to traffic. Revelers are directed by the NYPD to gather in separate viewing sections. As one section fills up, the revelers are directed by police to the next viewing section. As the evening progresses, revelers continue to fill the Times Square neighborhood along Broadway and Seventh Avenue moving uptown from 43rd Street to as far as Central Park.

6:00 pm to 6:03 pm
Opening Ceremonies - Lighting and Raising the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball
The celebration begins with the lighting and raising of the New Year’s Eve Ball atop One Times Square. The Event Organizers, Tim Tompkins and Jeffrey Straus will be joined by representatives of the Philips Lighting Company to flip the giant switch which lights the New Year’s Eve Ball and begins its ascent accompanied by special pyrotechnic effects atop One Times Square.

6:04 pm to 6:56 pm
Musical performances and other activities are presented on the Nivea Kiss and Countdown Stages.

6:57 pm to 7:00 pm
Hourly Countdown
As we approach the New Year, a surprise guest joins our host at the Nivea Countdown Stage to share his/her wish for the New Year, read several of the Confetti Wishes that will be mixed into the famous confetti release at midnight, and then lead the Times Square revelers in the ten second Toshiba Vision countdown to the 7 o'clock hour accompanied by colorful pyrotechnic effects atop One Times Square.

7:10 pm
Times Square 2011 Hats and Balloons
The Times Square Alliance sanitation crew clad in bright red uniforms begin to distribute tens of thousands of fun handouts to the Times Square revelers for cheering in the New Year. Nivea is providing festive blue New Year’s Eve hats and blue balloons tied with silver mylar ribbons along with useful Nivea Lip Care product to keep our lips looking and feeling beautiful for that unforgettable kiss at midnight.

7:32 pm to 7:55 pm
Musical performances and other activities are presented on the Nivea Kiss and Countdown Stages.

7:57 pm to 8:00 pm
Hourly Countdown
As we approach the New Year, a surprise guest joins our host at the Nivea Countdown Stage to share his/her wish for the New Year, read several of the Confetti Wishes that will be mixed into the famous confetti release at midnight, and then lead the Times Square revelers in the ten second Toshiba Vision countdown to the 8 o'clock hour accompanied by colorful pyrotechnic effects atop One Times Square.

8:04 pm to 8:56 pm
Musical performances by Hot Chelle Rae and other activities are presented on the Nivea Kiss and Countdown Stages.

8:57 pm to 9:00 pm
As we approach the New Year, a surprise guest joins our host at the Nivea Countdown Stage to share his/her wish for the New Year, read several of the Confetti Wishes that will be mixed into the famous confetti release at midnight, and then lead the Times Square revelers in the ten second Toshiba Vision countdown to the 9 o'clock hour accompanied by colorful pyrotechnic effects atop One Times Square.

9:20 pm to 9:56 pm
Musical performances by Pitbull and other activities are presented on the Nivea Kiss and Countdown Stages.

9:57 pm to 10:00 pm
Hourly Countdown
As we approach the New Year, a surprise guest joins our host at the Nivea Countdown Stage to share his/her wish for the New Year, read several of the Confetti Wishes that will be mixed into the famous confetti release at midnight, and then lead the Times Square revelers in the ten second Toshiba Vision countdown to the 10 o'clock hour accompanied by colorful pyrotechnic effects atop One Times Square.

10:09 pm to 10:58 pm 
Musical performances by Justin Bieber and Pitbull and other activities are presented on the Nivea Kiss and Countdown Stages.

10:57 pm to 11:03 pm
As we approach the New Year, a surprise guest joins our host at the Nivea Countdown Stage to share his/her wish for the New Year, read several of the Confetti Wishes that will be mixed into the famous confetti release at midnight, and then lead the Times Square revelers in the ten second Toshiba Vision countdown to the 11 o'clock hour accompanied by colorful pyrotechnic effects atop One Times Square.

11:03 pm to 11:46 pm
Musical performances by Lady Gaga and other activities are presented on the Nivea Kiss and Countdown Stages, including a performance by Lady GaGa.

11:53 pm to 11:59 pm
Special live performance of the song, “Imagine” at the Nivea Kiss Stage. (Performer not yet announced.)

11:59 pm
The Sixty-Second Countdown
The Times Square 2012 Special Guest and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg push the Waterford crystal button that signals the descent of the New Year’s Eve Ball, and lead the final sixty-second countdown to the New Year at the Nivea Countdown Stage.

The New Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball

The lighted Ball descends 70 feet in sixty seconds. The Ball is a geodesic sphere, twelve feet in diameter, weighing 11,875 pounds. The Ball is covered with 2,688 Waterford crystal triangles and lit by 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel LEDs.

12:00 am - New Year's Day 

2012 Sign
At the stroke of Midnight, the lights on the New Year’s Eve Ball are turned off as the numerals of the New Year “2012” burst to life shining high above Times Square.
Times Square Confetti Release and Pyrotechnic Effects
The world-famous New Year's Eve confetti is released from the rooftops of buildings throughout Times Square creating a celebratory blizzard of colorful confetti as revelers welcome the New Year accompanied by colorful pyrotechnic effects.

12:15 am - End of Show