When does the ball drop on New Year's Eve? Time zones make it tricky.
As the clock strikes midnight in New York City, millions will watch the iconic ball drop in person from Times Square or at home – but midnight won't come for hours in much of the country.
The ball drop doesn't quite have the same meaning to Americans who live in other time zones. In Los Angeles, the event marks 9 p.m. on New Years Eve, and for people living in Hawaii or some U.S. territories, the timing is even farther removed from the start of the new year. People in Guam will have been in 2025 for over half a day when the ball drops.
The Times Square ball doesn't drop again after residents and visitors on the East Coast ring in the New Year, but there are still plenty of ways for the rest of the nation to watch it happen — and plenty of celebrations elsewhere in the country too.
Watch the ball drop at midnight ET and head to bed
Some will take advantage of living in a different time zone to watch New Year's Eve programming from the East Coast and head to bed early, while still feeling like they've stayed up into the new year.
If you're on the West Coast, you can tune in to see the ball drop at 9 p.m. PST, and get to bed plenty before midnight.
Coast-to-coast countdowns
You can also watch coverage of the countdowns to 2025 in multiple time zones all night long. One option: Nexstar Media Group's program will start at 11 p.m. EST and include countdowns across four time zones.
See another 'drop' happening in another time zone
The Times Square ball drop isn't the only "drop" happening to ring in the New Year. Several cities will be dropping their own unique objects when it hits midnight in their time zones.
If you live in the Central Time Zone, CBS is hosting "Nashville's Big Bash" starting at 7 p.m. CST, and will count down when it hits midnight in Eastern time. But it will also feature a countdown to midnight in Central Time with the dropping of a music note.
In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, one celebration includes the dropping of a giant lighted anchor at midnight, according to WVTJ.
In Mobile, Alabama, a 15-pound edible MoonPie in blueberry flavor will drop, WALA reported.
They'll drop a big lighted cherry in Milwaukie, Oregon, the home of the Bing cherry, at 9 p.m. PST to join the East Coast's new year.
Watch the NYC ball drop, just later
Some will choose to watch the NYC ball drop, but see it it after it airs live. Check your local TV guide to see whether a broadcast of the ball drop is available to you on a delay, so you can still enjoy the fanfare when your own clock strikes 12.