2018 is already off to a bad start — and it’s still two weeks away.
Workers testing out the giant “18” that will light up after the ball drops in Times Square on New Year’s Eve got a shock Wednesday when the 8 failed to illuminate.
Times Square Alliance workers conducting a test run on the massive numerals counted down from 10 before hitting the juice.
But the 8 flickered and about four dozen of its bulbs remained dim as everyone shouted “Happy New Year.”
Before you could say “Auld Lang Syne,” a handful of workers descended on the new lame sign, twisting bulbs and smacking the device like a fussy old TV set.
“This is what practice is for. We have 18 days to correct this,” emcee Jeff Straus from Countdown Entertainment shouted to puzzled onlookers.
Workers popped open a back panel to check the wiring, but realized the problem was too deep in the display to fix in the middle of Times Square.
One suggested that the truck transporting the numeral to the Crossroads of the World must have hit a bump.
The issue was fixed by late afternoon, and the sign is lit at West 46th and Broadway, where it will remain until Dec. 22, according to a rep from the Times Square Alliance.
“Just like on Broadway, there is a reason for the dress rehearsal. And just like on Broadway, our opening night – the 114th annual New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square – will be perfect,” alliance president Tim Tompkins told The Post.