A New Place to Rock this NYE

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve came to be in 1973 and has become a long standing tradition across the country. It is an annual television special that airs every New Year's Eve on ABC. The special broadcasts from New York City's Times Square, and prominently features coverage of its annual ball drop event, along with live and pre-recorded musical performances by popular musicians from Times Square and from Hollywood while folks at home countdown the New Year. This event has become ingrained in pop culture and after 43 years we would expect nothing more than for the special to grow.

What's that now? Grow? You mean expanding further around Times Square? Nope. We're talking adding a whole new city and state to the mix. Surprise! New Orleans will help ring in 2017 for the first time as Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest expands its coverage into the Central Time Zone. That's right, the Big Easy is ready to take on this tradition (even though they're just a few months away from Mardi Gras)! The live segments from Louisiana will include exclusive performances from the Allstate Fan Fest and interviews leading up to the big countdown.

This year’s telecast will feature performances from Mariah Carey, DNCE, Thomas Rhett and Gloria Estefan and the cast of her Broadway musical On Your Feet! Viewers can expect continuous updates from Jenny McCarthy as she reports live from Times Square and the Billboard Hollywood Party will be hosted by Fergie with additional performers to be announced shortly.

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve will begin broadcasting live at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 31, on ABC. It's amazing to see this event grow over time. This year's celebration definitely calls for beignets and beads so be sure to include those on your NYE party shopping list! We can't wait to see New Orleans devour the details of ringing in 2017!