The following information is from NYE 2023 and has been left available for reference. Information for NYE 2024 will be made available in fall/winter 2023.
Photographers requesting a position on the production riser must complete the following process.
Production Riser Access
The Times Square New Year’s Eve Production Riser, built and managed by the organizers of the event, meets the needs of the on-site broadcast networks and affiliates and their production staff. The limited space is also apportioned to the event’s cast, crew and main sponsors.
Public safety and logistical restraints limit the number of individuals permitted on the riser. Remaining, functional space will be reserved for press photographers, subject to public safety and logistical concerns.
To be considered for this restricted space, photographers must submit to an advance credential application process. Working photographers on documented assignment for international, national and regional news outlets will be granted priority consideration.
Credentials will be distributed based on media reach and past coverage. Photographers on assignment for major metropolitan newspapers and national and international wire services will have priority.
In addition, two (2) spots will be available for random selection in a lottery system:
Independent/Freelance/Agency Photographers with Documented Endorsement by Three (3) News Outlets
Each independent/freelance photographer must submit three assignment letters on company letterhead, outlining the need for/support of riser access. Of those applications collected before the deadline, two will be selected through a lottery process. You will be updated on your status in mid-December.
Photographers with a NYPD-, PCO-, or Times Square Alliance-issued press credential will be permitted to enter the event but will not be allowed onto the production riser unless they have a production riser credential.
If you are looking to obtain access to the production riser, send one (1) email to NYEPhoto@Rubenstein.com with the following three (3) supporting documents as attachments before the deadline. In the email subject line enter: NYE Credentials: Last Name, First Name, Organization.
- A letter on company letterhead from your Media Organization outlining your request for a production riser credential. The letter must indicate the name of one photographer requesting a credential.
- A digital scan of a government-issued identification: e.g., driver’s license or passport.
- A recent photo of yourself cropped to 1.5” x 1.5” in size, saved as “First Name_Last Name” and in .jpg file format.
If any of these items are not attached to your email, your application will be considered incomplete and will not be processed.
Please send in your application by December 5 at 12pm.
*Our inbox can only accept emails with attachments not exceeding 10 MB. If your file is larger, please send the documents through DropBox, YouSendit, or WeTransfer.
For any additional questions, please email NYEPhoto@Rubenstein.com or tjwitham@timessquarenyc.org.
Media Street Access Credentials
Media Street Access Credentials (formerly known as temporary press credentials) grant access to emergency lanes, subject to NYPD approval. In order to move through Times Square during the event, photographers with positions on the riser will also need to obtain a Media Street Access Credential. (A NYPD- or PCO-issued press credential is also sufficient to gain street access).
Photographers who do not receive a spot on the production riser may still access the event with either a Times Square Alliance-issued Media Street Access Credential or a NYPD or PCO press credential.
You must show a photo ID when you pick up your credential.
December 2022 Deadlines
Monday, December 5, 2022, 12pm: Deadline for submitting complete application for Media Street Access Credentials and Photographer Credentials.
Week of Dec 19, 2022: Applicants for Media Street Access Credentials will be given a status update on the application process via email.
Dec 28–29, 2022, 9:30 a.m to 4:30 p.m.: Media Street Access Credentials available for pick-up at the Times Square Alliance office at 1560 Broadway, Suite 1001 (entrance on 46th Street between 6th Avenue & 7th Avenue). A government-issued photo ID will be required.
