Hong Kong artists to kick off 2023 New Year's celebration in New York

Jeff Straus (L), president of Countdown Entertainment, poses for a picture with Li Li, executive vice president of the Sino-American Friendship Association, during the Crystal Times Square New Year's Ball assembly on the roof of One Times Square, New York, the United States, on Dec. 27, 2022. (Photo by Ziyu Julian Zhu/Xinhua)

NEW YORK, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Artists from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will kick off the countdown celebration on the eve of 2023 in Times Square in New York City, said a release from one of the organizations on Tuesday.

The performance with the theme of "Fusion, Motion, Inspiration - Hong Kong Rocks" will blend music, dance, parkour, capoeira and others against a newly created medley, said the Sino-American Friendship Association (SAFA) in the release.

Electricians assemble the pattern onto the crystal ball during the Crystal Times Square New Year's Ball assembly on the roof of One Times Square, New York, the United States, on Dec. 27, 2022. (Photo by Ziyu Julian Zhu/Xinhua)

"This year, the Hong Kong artists will bring us a performance that represents both eastern and western culture to Times Square and celebrate the coming of 2023 with hundreds of millions of audiences on-site and around the world online or in front of TV," said Li Li, executive vice president of the SAFA.

The performance will showcase and demonstrate the cultural charm of Hong Kong, and is also a great opportunity to develop the cross-cultural friendship to the people between Hong Kong and the United States, said Li.

A piece of crystal is put into a larger pattern during the Crystal Times Square New Year's Ball assembly on the roof of One Times Square, New York, the United States, on Dec. 27, 2022. (Photo by Ziyu Julian Zhu/Xinhua)

The performance by Hong Kong artists and the entire countdown celebration will be live-streamed on multiple platforms, according to the release.

As part of the yearly tradition, replacement of some of the 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles on the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball started on Tuesday.

The ball, 12 feet in diameter and 11,875 pounds in weight, will begin its descent at 11:59 p.m., Dec. 31, starting the countdown of the final seconds of the year and celebrating the beginning of a new year, at the climax of the Times Square New Year's Eve celebration dating back to as early as 1904.