The Times Square Alliance Reveals Top Times Square Wishes For New Year's Eve

No matter how you feel about 2018, hope springs eternal, according to an analysis of New Year's Eve wishes submitted so far.

The Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment today announced the top seven themes of wishes for 2019, findings that are based on an initial analysis of the first 5,000 wishes submitted online from six continents, representing 92 countries and 48 states.

"New Year's Eve is a time when we shake off the troubles of the last year and hope for a re-boot and a re-set both for ourselves and for the world," said Tim Tompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance. "This year, for the first time, we've been able to analyze the wishes we have so far and see what patterns are emerging."

"Around the world, we all share the same wish for a happy, healthy 2019 filled with love, success and peace," said Jeffrey Straus, President of Countdown Entertainment. "When the Ball drops, a blizzard of colorful confetti fills the sky with the hopes and dreams of people from across the globe as we celebrate the new year."

Top Seven Themes:

Happiness (25%) topped the list of the wishes, including:
- "I wish to be happy and to make others happy" - Eric, California
- "Happiness and the ability to chase my dreams" - Alison, Ohio

Health (20%) came next, including:
- "I wish for a healthy, happy New Year for my two precious sons and my beautiful wife!" - Kyle, Georgia
- "I wish for health physical, mental, spiritual" - Barbara, Iowa

Love (17%) was third, including:
- "To have a happy, loving, and long marriage with my soon to be husband" - Kayleigh, Arkansas
- "My wish is to find LOVE LOVE LOVE !!!! SALUD!!! :) :) :)" - Noemi, Spain

Success/Professional Advancement (16%) was fourth, including:
- "I wish to find a great job in 2019" - Gaby, Argentina
- "I wish that I'll get a full-time job with benefits!"- Erin, New York
- "My wish is to go back to college and finally get a nursing degree." - Lindsey, New York

Peace (6%), a perennial for those thinking beyond their immediate friends and family, was fifth, including:
- "Peace on earth and end all wars and fights and that I will be in the peace corps when I'm older."- Alivia, New Jersey
- "Peace on earth. Let's all get along with each other."- Loree, New York
- "Fin a todas las guerras!"- Bryan, Costa Rica

Self-Improvement (6%), the wishes of people imagined in themselves the change they want to see in 2019, came sixth. These were among the most moving and varied wishes, including:
- "I wish to be centered and grounded! To be at peace with my own demons" - Brittany, Virginia
- "To move to a better place and have less financial struggles" - Michelle, California
- "Learn how to cook," "Go on more adventures," "Read more books," and "Learn more words" - Different members of a family in Wisconsin
- "I wish to be a role model to my teammate and be the person people will look up too" [sic] - Lexi, Connecticut

Having a Baby (2%) came seventh, ensuring a steady stream of wish-makers for the future! Samples include:
- "For a healthy, happy baby and a complication free delivery in May 2018"
- "Wish I could get pregnant" - Susan, New York

51% of wishes were ones people expressed for themselves (e.g., happiness, a job, self-improvement), 27% were for love ones (e.g., family, friends), and 22% were for other topics generally (e.g., peace, end of hunger, etc.).

"What can we say?" Tompkins notes. "The optimists would say that we need to take care of ourselves before we take care of others; the pessimists would say that it's not a surprise - and it's part of the problem - that we tend to think of ourselves first. Take your pick."

There's no shortage of distinctive and wacky wishes, as always. Here
are just a few so far:

- Live life like a sloth! Slow, mindful, present & eat plants! - Renee, Arizona

- I wish for Brittany Spears to play in a live-action remake of The Care Bears - Nicole, Kansas

- Become a professional wrestler - Dale, Massachusetts

- I wish I could talk to dogs, so I would talk with them - Katia, France

- To start the chocolate shop everybody is waiting for - Romina, Argentina

- I would like to become a Unicorn - Loukia, France

- I wish to be extremely rich soon - Billy, New York

Organizers noted that people still have time to submit wishes for 2019 by visiting the Wishing Wall, located at Times Square's Broadway plaza between 46th and 47th Streets, every day until December 29 from 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM. For those who want to be included in the celebration but are unable to visit the Wishing Wall in Times Square, wishes can also be shared online at the Times Square New Year's Eve Virtual Wishing Wall (www.TimesSquareNYC.org) or on Twitter and Instagram using #ConfettiWish. Additionally, as the presenting sponsor of the celebration, Planet Fitness collects wishes online at www.PlanetFitness.com/confettiwishes.

Each wish collected online before December 29th will be printed on a piece of confetti and added to those submitted at the Wishing Wall in Times Square to become part of the 3,000 pounds of confetti released at midnight over the one million revelers celebrating in Times Square on New Year's Eve.

In addition, New Year's Eve organizers expect to see an uptick in wishes related to freedom of the press, as this year's Charity Honoree and Special Guests - representing journalists from around the world - become a focus of attention in the days leading up to New Years.

"Given the events of 2018, we expect that our theme this year of #CelebratePressFreedom will also be seen online and in social media as we draw closer to New Year's Eve," said Tompkins.

The New Year's Eve Wishing Wall is one of the flagship attractions for visitors of Times Square, offering people from around the corner and the world the opportunity to be a part of New Year's Eve in Times Square by writing their wishes for the upcoming year on the actual confetti that will be released at midnight on New Year's Eve.