The popular New Year’s Eve television special, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, will air for its 43rd year December 31.

The special, created by Dick Clark, started as an alternative to the already existing New Year’s specials which did not appeal to younger viewers. The first airing was titled Three Dog Night’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 1973, celebrating the upcoming year of 1973. It aired on NBC and was hosted by the band Three Dog Night. Clark reported from Times Square for the live coverage of the ball drop and the arrival of 1973.

The show’s celebration of the 1975 New Year marked the first year the special aired on ABC and the first year Clark himself hosted it. After a few years of airing on television, the show gained popularity to the point where it became more acclaimed than the already existing specials. It did not take many years for the show to become the most popular New Year’s Eve special on American television.

In December 2004, Clark suffered a minor stroke and was unable to host the special that year. He returned to the show the next year to host along with Ryan Seacrest, who has continued to co-host airings of the special ever since. In 2009, the show was officially retitled Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, and 2012 was Clark’s final appearance on the special before his death in April of 2012.

Today, the special is broadcasted live from Times Square in New York City and includes performances from popular musicians pre-recorded from Los Angeles, California as well as live performances broadcasted from Times Square and the famous ball drop. It begins at 8:00 PM ET and continues for two hours before taking a break, returning for another hour at 10:00 PM. The main broadcast begins at 11:35 PM and continues until as late as 3:00 AM.

In recent years, the special has been hosted by Ryan Seacrest, along with Jenny McCarthy, who serves as a correspondent from Times Square, and Fergie, who presents the pre-recorded musical performances from California.

The performers for this year’s special have yet to be announced. Last year’s performers included a variety of musicians from a variety of genres, including Nick Jonas, Iggy Azalea, Bastille, Pentatonix, Elton John, One Direction, Taylor Swift, and Meghan Trainor, among others.

The upcoming edition of Dick Clark’s New Years Rockin’ Eve is sure to be a memorable one. Tune in December 31 at 8 PM on ABC!