NYC New Years Eve revelers unfazed by rain to welcome 2025 in Times Square
Can’t rain on their ball drop.
Thunderstorms didn’t dampen the spirits in Times Square on New Year’s Eve as thousands of revelers rang in 2025 with a bang.
As the festive poncho-clad masses waited in anticipation for the clock to strike midnight, a group of a dozen or so partiers, including Tiffany Lopez of the Bronx, danced to salsa with the raindrops pouring down Tuesday night.
“I’m from New York. And it’s an epic experience — something a New Yorker never does,” Lopez, 41, said gleefully. “You’re in the middle of Times Square. And it’s raining and people are so happy.”
Many people lined up in Times Square bright and early Tuesday to secure a spot for the celebration.
A group of friends from Japan camped out at 3 a.m. to get right behind the stage in the middle of Seventh Avenue to watch the ball drop.
The six pals, ranging in age from 23 to 27, pulled on their ponchos, not letting the weather ruin the occasion.
“We’re ready for anything,” Natsuki Maeda exclaimed.
Nearby, a veteran Times Square New Year’s Eve reveler — decked out in a 2025 foam top hat, 2025 glasses, and colorful boas — shrugged off the stormy weather.
“[My] eighth year in a row — minus the Covid year,” Tommy Onolfo, 42, told The Post. “I got here at 6 a.m. Not all worried about the rain. I’m a lifeguard and diving board coach in the summer. Water doesn’t bother me.”
“This year wasn’t so good to me so I’m just gonna go day by day,” the Long Island resident said. “It’s already getting better tonight. We didn’t even start the year and it’s already starting off good.”
He said he was looking forward to when the raindrops were replaced with falling confetti over the Crossroads of the World.
“There’s no other place to be than on Times Square on New Year’s especially when the confetti falls,” Onolfo said.
The ball drop tradition dates back to 1907. The ball weighs 11,875 pounds and is covered with 2,688 crystal triangles.
