New Year's Eve 2016 New York Fireworks, Time Square Ball Drop Live Streaming Free, Performance Lineup and TV Schedule for ABC, NBC, and CNN

Dec 29, 2015 03:44 PM EST

As the new year is about to begin, all eyes are going to Times Square for a celebration of the dropping of the ball, a tradition that is almost over 100 years old.  Most people would rather watch the even from at home rather than brave the New York Time's Square crowd to see that ball drop.  Fortunately, there are actually a few options for watching the event that includes different hosts and performance lineups on ABC, NBC, and CNN. 

For those that are planning on staying at home and watching the New Year's Eve Celebration Live, there are several places where you can watch or live stream the event. 

ABC will be hosting Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with hosts Ryan Seacrest and Jenny McCarthy.  It kicks off on Thursday, 8 PM with a lot of performers including Luke Bryan, Wiz Khalifa, Charlie Pluth, Demi Lovato and headliner Carrie Underwood and special guests One Direction.  Also, on the playlist is 5 Seconds of Summer, Fall Out Boy, Andy Grammer, Ellie Goulding, Elle King, Tove Lo, Rachel Platten, and Walk the Moon.  This event can be watched online at the ABC Go site here

NBC will also do their version of the New Year's Eve celebration with New Year's Eve with Carson Daly beginning at 10 PM.  Daly will be leading the festivities for NBC for the eleventh year, and he will be joined by Chrissy Teign, Terry Crews, and Ken Marino.  Performing will be Blake Shelton, Gwent Stefani, Pharrell, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, and even Seth MacFarlane.  Watch a Livestream of the event at GossipCop

CNN also has their own take on the New Year's Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin, which will air starting at 8 PM.  So far, there isn't much listed on the official website, but there will be more. 

If you go to the official New Year's Eve Live Schedule, you will see that the event kicks off quite early at 3:00 PM, as the Bow Tie of Times Square (42nd to 47 Streets between Broadway and 7th Avenue) is fully closed to traffic.  That this point, the revelers are directed by the NYPD into viewing sections.  The celebration officially begins at 6:00 with the lighting and raising of the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball. 

From there, many will take the stage like Daya, Jessie J, and more.  It all leads up to the sixty-second countdown with the Mayor of New York City.  This year, the lighted 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.  Once the ball falls, there will be showers of confetti and pyrotechnic effects, not to mention the new year beginning.