Atlanta Mayor Joins Leaders From Across The Globe For Groundbreaking Virtual NYE Celebration

Atlanta GA

31 December, 2020

5:44 PM

Description

From the City of Atlanta: December 31, 2020 Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms joined leaders across the globe for a first-of-its-kind virtual New Year's Eve celebration to allow people to ring in the New Year safely. Organizers of the famed New Year's Eve Ball Drop Celebration are bringing the world's biggest party right to your home, live and direct from the crossroads of the world, Times Square. Jamestown, owner of One Times Square – home of the iconic New Year's Eve Ball – has collaborated with Ultimate Gamer, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Samsung, and others to create the virtual New Year's Eve experience. "Thank you to Jamestown and all of the partners for organizing a safe event to celebrate New Year's Eve," said Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. "Although 2020 has been full of challenges, the fact that we are here to celebrate a New Year is a testament to the resilience of people around the world." To mark this historic occasion, US mayors from Atlanta, Birmingham, Boston, Charleston, Charlottesville, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Savannah, and Seattle along with leaders from Canada, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, and Spain are joining the festivities to help New York in sending messages of hope and optimism for 2021. More information on the event can be found at VNYE.com or by downloading the app NYE in all app stores. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said: "New Yorkers are excited for a fresh start in 2021, and we'll ring in the New Year by doing what we do best: looking out for one another. We're keeping our city safe by forgoing large gatherings, and I know this dynamic virtual programming will still make this New Year's Eve a night to remember." Jamestown President Michael Phillips said: "Here in New York, One Times Square is the place where people mark the world's biggest moments. It is also the place where a million-plus people gather each year to celebrate New Year's Eve. When it became clear to us, the Times Square Alliance, and our partners in the city and the state, that this celebration would not be possible this year, we turned our attention to creating a new platform that enables everyone, everywhere to join us virtually in Times Square. For us, this was a simple decision. Jamestown, as a steward of New Year's Eve, had a responsibility to bring people together, in a safe and socially distanced way, while making sure the time-honored tradition of ringing in the New Year didn't get lost in 2020." Mayor de Blasio will push the crystal button on the main stage in the center of Times Square, which signals the lowering of the Waterford Crystal Times Square New Year's Eve Ball. Historically, he is joined by special guests on the mainstage for this moment. This year, due to onsite social distancing protocols, guests will not appear on stage with the Mayor. This year each guest and their family will represent the Everyday Heroes of 2020 and will watch the event from a private, physically distanced viewing area. About Virtual New Year's Eve: Jamestown has created a gamified New Year's Eve experience to bring the look, feel, and iconic celebrations from Times Square to you. Create your personalized avatar to enter and explore the virtual world of Times Square in a year when you can't be there in person. For those who want to dance it out, take in nature, or experience zero gravity, VNYE has three fun games where you can collect celebratory confetti points to outfit your avatar. Gamers and esports fans can head to the Ultimate Gamer Lounge to connect to exclusive content and giveaways. Music fans can view exclusive performances by emerging musicians Alex Boyé, Armani White, and Chloe Gilligan. The experience also features a multimedia art exhibition, Hi-Resolution. The 60-piece collection from 45+ digital and contemporary artists–including Shyama Golden, Molly Soda, Jeanette Getrost, and Ines Alpha– focuses on setting intentions for the coming year. Finally, on December 31, tune in for a Livestream from Times Square, as we countdown to midnight and the iconic Ball Drop Celebration. Direct your New Year's Eve show through the NYE experience: check out Twitch as creators share our broadcast on their channels, choose your view of Times Square from multiple camera feeds, and watch New Year's celebrations from around the world and even the International Space Station through our EarthCam Rolling Live feed. For more information, visit VNYE.com or download the app NYE in all app stores. About Wonderama: Wonderama is a legacy media brand, with a 40+ year history in entertaining kids. Today, it has been reimagined and relaunched to critical acclaim. Designed to entertain, educate and engage kids and families across multiple platforms through our original content, Wonderama blends musical performances, science experiments, cooking demos, games, and much more in every episode. Our creative and interactive approach makes learning truly resonate with kids. Wonderama is certified by Stanford University and Metropolitan College of New York as Educational and Informational Programming. Wonderama has quickly expanded its platform to help serve the educational needs of elementary and middle school kids. With over 100 half hours of television and close to 500 individual video segments. Wonderama TV is syndicated across the U.S in over 100 markets, and distributed internationally. It is also available on Amazon Prime FVOD service, Tubi TV, an eponymous Music Choice Channel and through our own YouTube Channel. This press release was produced by the City of Atlanta. The views expressed are the author's own.