New York, Dec 18 (EFE).- The new numbers that will mark the arrival of 2026 as the ball drops in Times Square made their debut this Thursday to great applause from hundreds of people who packed the iconic plaza where they will be on display until December 23. The numbers 2026, which will mark the start of the new year, are seven feet tall (2.13 meters) and have a total of 589 bulbs: 145 in each of the two's, 164 in the zero, and 135 in the six. New Yorkers and tourists lined up this Thursday to take photos in front of the numbers, which are resting on a small stage and remain lit after a test run, in preparation for December 31, when they will descend illuminated alongside the new ball that millions around the world will see drop from the One Times Square building. The ball, which weighs about 5,600 kilograms (12,000 pounds), the largest to date, has 5,282 Waterford crystals, and on it will be the 2026. Anne Munett, a retired police officer from Puerto Rico, was one of those lining up to take a photo in front of the numbers on Thursday: 'I survived 2025. I'm retired and I want this photo,' she said of a year she hopes will be 'beautiful, healthy, and full of blessings.' The numbers will remain on Broadway, between 46th and 47th Streets, until 7 a.m. on December 23, so the public can take photos during a time when Times Square is a whirlwind of people walking back and forth, alone, in pairs, with children or pets. A few steps away from the numbers, another group of people was also lining up to express their wishes for 2026.
