2020 is quickly approaching us, which means New Year’s Eve is just around the corner.
While everyone has their own New Year’s Eve traditions, many people across America gather to
watch the ball drop at midnight in Times Square live on their TV. Watching “Dick Clark’s New
Year’s Rockin’ Eve” has been a quintessential New Years Eve tradition for many years. “Dick
Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” begins at 8:00 p.m. on Dec. 31 on ABC. The special is now
hosted by Ryan Seacrest. The New Year’s special hosts many of each year’s most prominent
musicians and entertaining viewers throughout the night. The performances come in live from
across the country, and keep the audience entertained until well after midnight. This year there
are a great variety of performers, who have all proved to be extremely successful in 2019.
“The ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’ show is one of my favorite parts of New
Years Eve. Not only do I love watching the ball drop, but the performances are incredible! I hope
I can see it live one day,” said junior Allie Salzman.
While the show centers around Times Square, the west coast and central time zone
have a lot to offer, as well. Ciara will be hosting a show live from Los Angeles, while Billy Porter
takes over in New Orleans. The hosts collaborate, along with Ryan Seacrest, to make sure that
the whole country is able to watch, no matter where they are. Los Angeles holds the majority of
the performers such as Ciara, Dan + Shay, Green Day, Dua Lipa, and more. Each of these
performers have had amazing years. First of all, Ciara’s success this year has landed her host
of the American Music Awards, as well as a spot in the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Her song
“Melanin” has been a major hit in the past few months. Dan + Shay have also had an amazing
year, releasing several new songs and making sure their old ones remain hits. This year, they
released “10,000 Hours” with Justin Bieber, as well as “All to Myself,” and even some Christmas
hits.
“Dan + Shay is my favorite music group. I’m so happy they became so popular this
year,” said junior Abbie Garfin.
Green Day is a classic band that has been around for many years, with songs like “21
Guns” and “American Idiot.” This year, they released two more, “Father of All…” and “Fire,
Ready, Aim.” Furthermore, Dua Lipa is a young star who has risen in 2019. Songs like “One
Kiss” and “Don’t Start Now” are always on the radio, and her name has become very well known
this year especially. Each of these performers has been selected to demonstrate the success
that they have had both this year, and in the decade as a whole.
“The hosts across the country help make the show even more entertaining. They are
so funny and help keep the program entertaining in-between performances,” said junior Remi
Haas.
While all of this is going on in LA, New York will be keeping up the excitement until the
famous ball drops. While Ryan Seacrest has been the main host for the past 15 years, Jenny
McCarthy and Lucy Hale also play an enormous role in the festivities. McCarthy has been
known to keep freezing fans waiting out the night entertained, while Hale helps to introduce
performers coming in from across the country. The team in New York allows things to run
smoothly, and makes sure the year has been well-celebrated. The group holds many traditions,
including writing resolutions on confetti, that at the end of the night will fall from One Times
Square tower, along with the ball. While New York performers have not been announced yet, it
is clear that even the hosts have enough entertainment ability to keep viewers happy until 2020
officially begins. This year’s NYE celebration is sure to be a success and keep viewers from
across the country entertained as they enter 2020.