The Confetti King’s New Year’s Eve Magic

In the final minute before midnight on New Year’s Eve, Treb Heining stands high above Times Square, intently watching a digital clock beneath the iconic Waterford crystal ball. As the crowd below roars the countdown, “5, 4, 3, 2, 1,” Heining, known affectionately as the “confetti king,” speaks three simple words into his radio that transform the New York City skyline: “Go confetti!” With this command, more than 100 volunteers stationed across seven buildings surrounding Times Square spring into action. As fireworks explode and “Auld Lang Syne” fills the air, Heining and his team hoist massive handfuls of confetti into the night sky. The small, colorful paper squares create a vibrant, fluttering blizzard that engulfs the entire area, turning several Midtown blocks into what could be described as the world’s largest, most magnificent snow globe. This breathtaking spectacle often upstages even the famous ball drop itself, creating a magical moment for the thousands dancing, cheering, and kissing below.

Now in his third decade orchestrating this dazzling New Year’s tradition, the soon-to-be 72-year-old Heining remains deeply moved by the experience. “Every year on New Year’s at midnight, I cry. It is an emotional, wonderful thing for me every year,” he shared during a recent video call from his balloon company in California. The confession caught briefly in his throat as he admitted, “I wear my emotions on my sleeve” – a trait his grandchildren have playfully acknowledged by giving him shirts emblazoned with “cry baby.” Despite launching Times Square’s first confetti barrage on December 31, 1992, and building a pioneering large-scale balloon business since 1979, Heining’s enthusiasm and wonder have never diminished. “I am completely nervous at 11:50 when I’m pacing up and down on my setback with a walkie-talkie, ready to give the cue. It never changes,” he explained. “It’s a complete honor to have the job, to be the gatekeeper for so many people, to be a part of something that’s so amazing, that goes out around the world, for everybody to see.”

Heining’s journey to becoming the mastermind behind this iconic celebration began modestly – selling balloons at Disneyland in Anaheim at age 15. After college, he worked in sales and production for Famous Amos cookies before his friend David Klein, creator of Jelly Belly candies, encouraged him to leverage his Disney experience and start his own balloon company. Since then, his career has soared to extraordinary heights, staging balloon drops and displays for 18 Super Bowls, three Olympic Games, and numerous political conventions. His annual New Year’s Eve responsibility now includes managing approximately 3,000 pounds of confetti – about 75 boxes weighing 45 pounds each – distributed from strategic locations including the Marriott Hotel, the former Bertelsmann Building, and the Minskoff Theatre, home of “The Lion King.” What makes this spectacle particularly meaningful is that thousands of the tiny paper slips contain handwritten wishes collected online and from a Wishing Wall in Times Square. These personal messages range from lighthearted dreams like “get skinny” and buying “a new car” to heartfelt hopes to “fall in love.”

One particularly poignant memory involves a message Heining noticed years ago that read, “I wish that my mom’s cancer goes away” and included a phone number. Touched, he and a volunteer called the number, introducing himself and explaining that their wish would be released over Times Square that night. “I’m waiting for them to say something, and they’re silenced,” he recalled, his voice breaking with emotion. “And they’re sobbing on the other end of the phone. Sobbing. And she eventually said, ‘Thank you so much.’ It was just… It was wonderful.” This experience deeply affected him, highlighting how the simple tradition connects with people’s deepest hopes. “The message thing is so amazing, because some of them are written by kids, and they’re really rudimentary, and other ones are very touching. It makes you realize, as a human being, how fortunate we all are, because so many people are carrying such a load.” This human connection extends to the diverse volunteers who help release the confetti, coming from countries including Russia, Sweden, Norway, England, Australia, and New Zealand. “Over the years, boy, I know we’ve covered the globe,” Heining reflected proudly.

Among the many meaningful encounters throughout his tenure, one recent interaction particularly stands out. Just two years ago, while passing through a Midtown hotel lobby days before New Year’s Eve, Heining met a “wonderful” family visiting from Germany – parents with two daughters – who had no specific plans for December 31st. On impulse, he invited them to join his confetti crew, an offer they accepted with astonishment. When midnight arrived and the confetti spectacle unfolded with its usual splendor, the German mother approached Heining in her long coat. “She gives me this big hug,” he remembered, his voice catching again with emotion. “And it got to the point where you want to let go and everything. She didn’t let go. And she’s hanging on to me, and she whispers in my ear, ‘This is the greatest New Year’s we’ve ever had in our lives.'” Moments like these, Heining admits, “are hard for me to talk about” but create lasting impressions that “stay with you forever.” Through his decades of creating this magical tradition, it’s clear that Treb Heining has given the world not just a spectacular visual display, but countless personal connections and memories that embody the hopeful spirit of New Year’s Eve itself – proving that sometimes the simplest things, like tiny squares of paper floating through the night air, can create the most profound human experiences.