The harbinger of the New Year has officially arrived.
For many New Yorkers, the promise of a fresh start in 2022 cannot come soon enough. These crisp calendar seekers can rejoice with the first steps on the road to the coming year arriving in the Big Apple on Dec. 20.
Less than two weeks before the city that never sleeps is set to ring in the festivities with Times Square’s New Year’s Eve celebration, the massive 7-foot-tall 2022 numerals that will be hoisted above New York’s heart in anticipation of the iconic ball drop were unloaded Monday morning. This marked the end of a lengthy, cross-county trip for the numbers that began in California before being transported through Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland. This coast-to-coast tour gave Americans all across the country an opportunity to celebrate putting 2021 in the rear-view mirror.
Before being elevated for the big day, the numerals will remain in Times Square Plaza until Dec. 23 to allow for natives and visitors alike to take photographs with the four pieces made up of 599 energy efficient LED bulbs.
“What’s amazing is that on Dec. 31 these numerals will be atop of One Times Square and over a billion people will join us around the world as the ball descends and these numerals light up to greet 2022. There is no moment like it,” said Jeffrey Straus the President of Countdown Entertainment.
The uploading process was monitored closely by Tom Harris the President of the Times Square Alliance, Jeffrey Straus the President of Countdown Entertainment, co-organizers of Times Square New Year’s Eve, and James Bell the Director of Corporate Communications of Kia America. The group gave a sneak peak of New Year by lightning the numbers for all to see.
“We just want to say what a pleasure it is to be here and be part of this amazing partnership. It really means a lot. We’re living in crazy days, you all knew that right? It’s been strange these days and we just think it’s fantastic to have moments like this that really kind of bind and reconnect us a little bit,” Bell said, commenting on the unity brought forth with the creation and transportation of the 2022 numerals.
For Bell, the ability to share the New Year numerals across the country inside of an electric car symbolized the drive toward green energy.
“We are really transitioning to an electrified transportation future, folks. That’s why the EV6 road along on the tour. Electrification is here, it’s real. The history books will be written about this time 2022 and the transition to electrified vehicles and Kia is very proud and pleased to be a key part of that story. The other part I’m going to think about, and this really touches me really deeply, is the amazing stories that we made and the people that we met and the connections that we had all across the country as these numerals made their way across,” Bell added.
