MIAMI (WSVN) - As 2018 approaches, South Florida is preparing for a festive New Year’s Eve celebration.
The 35-foot iconic Big Orange arrived in Downtown Miami Thursday morning and is ready to be raised to the top of the InterContinental Miami hotel.
Workers are putting on the finishing touches for the big party to close out 2017.
“It’s not New Year’s until I say it’s New Year’s,” said Steve Carpenter, who owns Mr. Neon, the company that made the Big Orange. “In order to bring it here, I designed it in four pieces.”
Crews worked to put the giant piece of art, made up of 2,000 LED lights, together.
“Florida — so it has to be an orange and love oranges, so that works,” said Tasha Phipps who plans to celebrate in Miami, “and then rises. It just has a really good theme as far as rising up into the New Year.”
That’s what Carpenter said sets the orange apart from any other ball drop. “We go to the top. We don’t want to go to the bottom,” he said.
As 2017 gets closer to midnight on New Year’s Eve, the orange will slowly rise along the 400-foot high hotel.
“We wanted it high on the building in the park so that people all over in the park, in the boats, could see it,” Carpenter said, “so if it came down, then they wouldn’t be able to see the finale. If we bring it to the top, everybody around, even in the condos, in the high-rises, can see it go up.”
Thousands of people are expected to attend events for New Year’s Eve at Bayfront Park, where a fireworks display will also be seen once 2018 begins.
The Big Orange will have its official test run Friday morning.
Starting Saturday morning, some road closures will go into effect. Ocean Drive will be closing at 7 a.m., Saturday, and will remain closed until after 9 a.m. New Year’s Day.
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