Participants at the annual Good Riddance Day event in Times Square had a chance to wipe their slates clean for the new year Saturday.

Good Riddance Day is inspired by a Latin American custom in which celebrants of New Year's stuff dolls with lamentable memories of the dwindling year before setting the object aflame.

Saturday was the day to say "good riddance" to any negativity in 2024. For almost 20 years, people have taken part in the Times Square tradition, hoping to erase the bad in hopes of a better new year.

Organizers of the Times Square New Year's Eve celebration screwed the last crystals onto the ball before it ushers in the new year one last time.

The celebrations at Times Square in New York City will kick off in less than a week, with star-studded performances and an exciting countdown.

Silvia Lupone first experienced New Year’s Eve in Times Square in 2010, when she was 28. “I cannot explain how important this was to me and how I wished to experience it all my life,” said Lupone, who lives in Port Jefferson and has gone many times since. “After having done it, I am happy to say that my hopes were not misplaced.”

Want to watch the New Year’s Eve ball drop without the Times Square crowd? There are many places to have dinner and a view. Multiple businesses in the Times Square area have a view of the New Year’s Eve ball.