'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest' expands New Year's countdown to New Orleans with Jason Derulo, Panic! at the Disco & Lucy Hale

First-ever live Central Time Zone countdown

New Year's celebration begins live at 8 p.m. EST on ABC from New York's Times Square

"Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017" marks the continued expansion of the iconic annual New Year's Eve tradition with coverage from New Orleans in its first-ever Central Time Zone countdown.

The live segments will include exclusive performances from the Allstate Fan Fest, where New Orleans locals and tourists gather annually to celebrate the New Year and usher in the annual Allstate Sugar Bowl, and interviews leading up to the midnight countdown and stunning fleur-de-lis drop near Jackson Square to ring in the New Year.

Ryan Seacrest will lead the traditional countdown to midnight live from New York City, with actress and comedian Jenny McCarthy in Times Square, and superstar Fergie returning to host the Billboard Hollywood Party in Los Angeles.

New Orleans joins the largest celebration of the year, airing on Saturday, Dec. 31, beginning at 8 p.m. EST on the ABC Television Network.

To ring in the New Year, 11-time multi-platinum artist Jason Derulo and certified double-platinum supergroup Panic! at the Disco are slated to perform live from the Allstate Fan Fest. Award-winning actress Lucy Hale, best known for her role as Aria Montgomery on Freeform's hit series "Pretty Little Liars," will host the live celebration from the Crescent City, providing viewers with exclusive celebrity and fan interviews leading up to the midnight countdown.

"Known for its vibrant culture and deep musical roots, New Orleans is the ideal choice to host our first-ever Central Time Zone countdown," said Mike Mahan, president, dick clark productions. "We are excited to expand our tradition of ringing in the New Year to the 'Big Easy.' "

"We are thrilled to kick off 2017 by showcasing our amazing culture to the rest of the world as we broadcast the Central Time Zone New Year's Eve celebrations happening in New Orleans and around the state of Louisiana," said Louisiana's Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser. "This past year was challenging for our wonderful state, but we remain a world-class destination ready to celebrate a new year and welcome visitors from around the globe! We look forward to opening our doors to the world!"

This year marks the 45^th anniversary of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017." The special will feature more than five hours of performances and reports on New Year's celebrations from around the globe, with performance acts in New York, New Orleans and Los Angeles.

Mariah Carey, DNCE, Thomas Rhett and Gloria Estefan with the cast of her Broadway musical "On Your Feet!" will perform for over 1 million fans live in Times Square with millions more on TV. Fergie will host the Billboard Hollywood Party.