Copyright Parade
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest is going to look a little different this year. America’s most-watched New Year’s celebration has become one of the country’s most enduring annual traditions to ring in the new year, and this year, as the calendar flips from 2025 to 2026, and the program celebrates its 55th year, it will experience a historic first. The special programming event, hosted by Ryan Seacrest from New York, will welcome a Central Time zone midnight countdown live from Chicago. It’s the first time in the show’s more than 50-year history that the Windy City will be put in the spotlight, joining the East Coast Time zone countdown from New York’s Times Square and the only broadcast Spanish-language live Atlantic Time zone countdown from Puerto Rico. In previous years, it’s also hosted countdowns from Los Angeles and Nashville. Per the press release shared with Parade, the local ABC network, WLS-TV, is “‘Chicago Proud’ to have the opportunity to showcase the amazing city of Chicago on ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,’” said John Idler, general manager and president of WLS-TV Chicago. He added, “We look forward to bringing viewers a spectacular fireworks display centered on the iconic bridges that cross the Chicago River and cascade over the city’s world class architecture.” While “more details will be announced soon” as to what the content from Chicago will feature, the press release notes it will “be led by a new host” and feature “live performances and on-the-ground updates and reporting throughout the evening.” “For more than five decades, ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’ has served as America’s premier destination for live New Year’s Eve entertainment, bringing people together from coast to coast to celebrate the start of a new year,” said Barry Adelman, EVP, Television, Dick Clark Productions. “The addition of a live Central Time zone countdown from Chicago (my hometown!) marks an exciting new chapter for the show and lets us share this iconic American city’s incredible energy, culture, and spirit with millions of viewers across the country.” Chicago’s mayor, Brandon Johnson, was also thrilled to have the program come to “the greatest city in the world.” Every year, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve brings the best of the year’s music through dynamic performances, with 29 million viewers tuning in at midnight last year. The American Idol and Wheel of Fortune host has been at the helm since 2016, when he joined as co-host alongside Dick Clark, and has since fully taken on the responsibilities following Clark’s death in 2012. Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026 airs Wednesday, Dec. 31, live on ABC beginning at 8:00 p.m. EST.
