Times Square Ball Drop Now Presents: The Ultimate Party Pooper's Paradise ... a Sensory-Free Escape

Here's another idea ... just stay home.

Sensory refuge van for the neurodivergent coming to Times Square for New Year’s Eve https://t.co/wV2vdsdhhV pic.twitter.com/K10AebUw84
— New York Post (@nypost) December 29, 2024

Like an oasis in the desert, a refuge from the mania of New Year’s Eve is coming to Times Square.
A “Sensory Activation Vehicle” (SAV) — outfitted with calming tools and noise-canceling headphones — will be stationed outside the ball drop for the first time this year so that neurodivergent guests can enjoy the “controlled chaos” of the annual mayhem.
“[We’re] creating the best environment for somebody with sensory needs to experience Times Square’s New Year’s Eve, because it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and why shouldn’t someone who has sensory needs be able to experience it?” Regina Fojas, the Times Square Alliance chief of staff, told The Post.
The SAV will be open to those struggling with autism, dementia, PTSD and other conditions that typically make participating in a boisterous event like the Times Square ball drop impossible.
The 20-foot by 8-foot van will have dimmed lighting and bubbled walls to muffle the outside noise, as well as a plethora of calming items like bean bags, activity panels and more.

Again, staying at home is also a very real option.

What if we kissed in the sensory refuge van? https://t.co/qClDR2GCKW
— Dirigo (@reversion_m) December 29, 2024

Would you even feel it? Would it even count?

Excellent idea for those who need it. 'Neurodivergent' is a ghastly term. Why do we have to celebrate what is essentially a brain injury as something to be celebrated, like an identity, the 'real' you? Most Sen people developed normally early on. Instead of rainbows and unicorns… https://t.co/ijrdo9j4Bj
— 🐝Noel Gallagher🐝 (@Noelgsuperman) December 29, 2024

Others see it as a burgeoning business in a time when everyone seems to have an affliction.

I found out that many people who attend the New Year’s Celebration in Times Square wear adult diapers or dehydrate themselves ahead of time. There is no amount of fun worth me having to wear a diaper, dehydrate myself, or climb in a sensory refuge van. To each their own 🎉! https://t.co/0SdO8N8D6q
— Jo Jo (@wjbasnett) December 29, 2024

Oh ffs 🙄🤦🏼‍♀️

~If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen~

If you can't take the chaos, don't go to NYC.

If your loved ones are susceptible to distress, don't subject them to the city, especially on New Year's Eve. https://t.co/cVYVXy52lB
— HAPnightowl (@HChocogenes) December 29, 2024

That's too reasonable for this day and time.

Same. Already got my tickets! pic.twitter.com/AcrCHuG2XY
— Ryan Duff (@ryancduff) December 29, 2024

The best ticket in town!

You would need the Van if you were directly exposed to a drunk Andy Cohen.
— Paul Elgin (@lfmhpj) December 29, 2024

Anderson Cooper got a bit tipsy one year, as well.

This isn't about helping neurodivergent people it's about making the people who parked the van there to feel good about themselves.
— Bob Anders 🇺🇸 (@bobof_the) December 29, 2024