The New Year’s Eve celebration is a New York tradition and is followed globally. An estimated one million people will flock to Times Square in New York City on December 31st to see the famous New Year’s Eve Ball descend atop One Times Square, as millions more watch on live television.

Residents and visitors who are planning to usher in the new year in Times Square are encouraged to register for alerts to receive critical update texts directly from New York City Emergency Management. Text messages may include safety, traffic, weather, and event alerts, including street closures and detours, transit delays, potential disruptions, reunification locations for missing persons, and updates throughout the evening.

“The Notify NYC short code is an easy and effective way to enhance our communication with the public. As we celebrate the New Year in Times Square, we are thrilled to partner with Everbridge to keep spectators up-to-date with key alerts and information,” NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Deanne Criswell said. “I want to wish everyone a safe and prosperous 2020.”

Likewise, visitors attending the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day are encouraged by the Pasadena Police Department to subscribe to their Everbridge-powered mobile alerts. The parade is attended annually by more than 700,000 spectators and watched by 37 million people at home, and is capped off by the 106th Rose Bowl Game.

Everbridge has been widely adopted by public safety agencies across the country and around the globe to manage large crowds, most recently by the City of New York for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The technology has been deployed at similar large-scale events including the Super Bowl in Atlanta, the Boston and Philadelphia Marathons, the Pride Parade in San Francisco and elsewhere, and Mardi Gras in New Orleans. It is also regularly used by officials during severe weather situations, including Hurricane Dorian in Florida, the California wildfires, and Cyclone Fani in India.