Times Square
Neon, giant screens and Broadway theaters at the crossroads of Manhattan, lit up all night.
Photo: Terabass · CC BY-SA 3.0
Times Square guide: the screens and pedestrian plazas, Broadway shows and the TKTS booth, the New Year’s Eve ball drop, costumed characters, safety and the best time to go.
What to expect
Where Broadway crosses Seventh Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, Times Square is a canyon of giant digital billboards that keeps the night bright. It took its name in 1904, when The New York Times moved its headquarters to the tower at the south end of the square.
Since 2009, much of the square has been closed to cars and turned into pedestrian plazas with seating, so you can stand in the middle and look up at the screens. Around it lies the Theater District, home to most of the 41 Broadway theaters.
At the TKTS booth under the red glass steps, you can buy same-day Broadway tickets at a discount, and the steps themselves make a free grandstand above the crowds. Every New Year’s Eve, about a million people fill the streets to watch the ball drop at midnight, a tradition since 1907.
Costumed characters and street performers pose for photos and expect a tip afterward, so agree on it first. Many New Yorkers avoid the area by day; it is most impressive after dark, when the lights are at their brightest.
Times Square: top things to do
- 1The view from the red steps above the TKTS booth
- 2Same-day discount tickets for a Broadway show
- 3The square after dark
- 4The New Year’s Eve ball drop, if you can face the crowds
Best time to visit
All year, after dark; weekday evenings are calmer than weekends.
Insider tips
- Agree on a tip before photographing costumed characters.
- Watch your bag and phone in the crowds.
- Eat a few blocks west, on Ninth Avenue, where prices are lower.
Fees, passes and parking
| What | Price |
|---|---|
| Entrance | Free |
- Federal park passes such as America the Beautiful are not valid here.
- Downtown parking is expensive and hard to find; book a garage in advance with a parking app or leave the car at the hotel.
- Public transit is the easiest way to get around the center.
Gas and fast charging nearby
846 gas stations within 20 km
- 1.1 km Mobil open 24 hours
- 1.2 km Mobil open 24 hours
- 2.6 km Mobil
- 2.7 km BP
- 3.2 km Speedway
- 3.2 km Exxon
- 0.7 km Gravity Charging Center Fast chargers (Gravity Mobility)
- 1.3 km Tesla Supercharger Fast chargers (Supercharger)
- 1.7 km ChargePoint Fast chargers (ChargePoint)
- 2.6 km Tesla Supercharger Fast chargers (Supercharger)
OpenStreetMap data, Oct 28, 2026.
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