The multimillion dollar redevelopment of the island located in the northern part of Times Square features an expanded and enhanced plaza that honors World War I hero Father Francis P. Duffy and Broadway's George M. Cohan with statues.

City officials will join the Times Square Alliance, Theatre Development Fund and the Coalition for Father Duffy to celebrate the grand opening of Duffy Square at 12:30 PM on Oct. 16.

The centerpiece of Duffy Square is the redesigned TKTS booth, featuring an award-winning design of an illuminated red glass staircase. The staircase will offer pedestrians a place to sit and take in Times Square.

TKTS, which has increased its box office from ten to twelve windows for the newly designed booth, will officially open at 3 PM on Oct. 16.

Both the downtown Brooklyn TKTS booth and South Street Seaport locations have begun to accept credit card payment for day-of tickets. While there has been no official confirmation from TDF, it looks likely that the renovated Duffy Square location will follow suit. Originally hoping for a late 2006 opening, the TKTS booth on Duffy Square was delayed due to the bankruptcy of the manufacturer of its glass construction materials and issues with assembling the unique materials for the ambitious project.

Since 1973 theatre lovers and tourists have been flocking to the booth, which offers discounted tickets for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, music and dance events. Over 50 million tickets have been sold at TKTS locations in Duffy Square, South Street Seaport and the latest addition in downtown Brooklyn, accounting for upwards of $1.4 billion in revenue for productions.