New Year's In Times Square: Jencarlos Canela Will Be The First Latino To Push Ball Drop Countdown Button

Good news for those spending New Year’s Eve in the big apple! Turns out Cuban-American actor and singer Jencarlos Canela just announced he will be making history by being the first Latino to push the button which activates the 60-second 11,000-pound Wateford Crystal ball drop in New york city’s Time Square to ring in the new year. The “Va Por Ti” star released a statement saying how honored he was to be doing this. “This is one of the most important distinctions of my career to this day. It is an honor to be the first Hispanic artist to activate the glass ball to start the New Year countdown for the entire world from Times Square,” said Canela.

The committee in charge of this event reportedly chose Jencarlos to push the Waterford Crystal button at 11:59pm alongside fellow International Rescue Committee (IRC) representatives Sonam Lama, David Miliband, Alek Wek and Nykhor Paul. IRC, which responds to the most atrocious world crises and helps people in need, rebuild their lives, will serve as the philanthropic partner for this New Year’s Eve celebration. Canela, got his place in this group by actively volunteering with the IRC for the last several years. He’s even visited countries in need like Haiti in 2011 and 2013.

Times Square’s official Twitter also took it upon them to announce the exciting news for Jencarlos who is also touring around the US. The star tweeted excited about his arrival to New York City to get ready for the grand event. If you’re not in NYC to see this, check out its live stream right here!