City officials confirmed earlier today that the New Orleans Pelicans will assist with this evening’s New Year’s Eve countdown, coinciding with the annual ball drop atop the JAX Brewery near Jackson Square.
The announcement comes ahead of the city’s traditional fleur-de-lis drop, where crowds gather for a smooth, carefully timed descent marking the start of a hopeful new year. Officials said the decision was based on the organization’s familiarity with late-stage situations involving timing, pressure, and repeatedly dropping the ball in key moments.
According to the city, the team will not physically operate the mechanism, but will serve in an advisory role to monitor the drop and evaluate execution in real time.
“We wanted someone who understands the moment,” one unnamed official said. “Someone with vast experience making sure the fleur-de-lis drops smoothly and on time. We couldn’t think of anyone better.”
Sources close to the planning process emphasized that the involvement is purely ceremonial and does not reflect concern about the event’s outcome.
At press time, officials confirmed the fleur-de-lis is expected to drop fully by midnight, though several acknowledged it may hesitate briefly, bounce slightly, or require a reset before finally completing the process.
“They’ve (Pelicans) vowed for everything to run like clockwork, which is great for this event,” the official added. “If there’s one thing you can depend on with this team, it’s being let down. That works perfectly for the ball drop.”