New Year’s Eve Countdown: The Confetti Passed the Test

The Times Square Alliance held its annual “Confetti Test” over the weekend — and good news, it’s ready to go airborne when the clock strikes midnight tonight! Every year, officials throw the colorful square pieces of paper from the top of skyscrapers a couple days in advance to make sure that everything goes as planned on the big night.

“We actually fluff, throw, and then it floats down on the crowd below,” Jeffrey Straus, President of Countdown Entertainment, told CBS. “It’s approximately 17 million pieces of confetti that will rain down on the crowd.”

The confetti, which is made entirely by hand, is emblazoned with New Year “wishes” that have been submitted by visitors from over 50 countries to the Times Square Museum. For instance, a boy from Florida hopes to make the honor roll.

The confetti is also strategically placed to flow with the wind. “[We] prioritize it in different buildings so that we make sure that at midnight when everybody around the world is watching they see that famous blizzard of multicolored tissue confetti,” Straus said.

Tonight, one ton of “wishes,” will coat the estimated one million people who have gathered in Midtown Manhattan to welcome 2013.

Check out video of the confetti test below!