Revelers gather on Times Square in New York, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016, to take part in a New Year's Eve celebration. Photo: Craig Ruttle / Associated Press
Revelers around the world have been welcoming 2017 with crackling fireworks displays and loud cheering, saying goodbye to a year filled with political surprises, prolonged conflicts and the deaths of several beloved performers.
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The people of Sydney were treated to a glittering display over their famed harbor and bridge that honored the singer David Bowie and actor Gene Wilder, who both passed away in 2016.
The tone was more somber elsewhere, though, including Berlin, where some expressed worry about the political mood in Germany. It was also relatively quiet in China’s two largest cities, Beijing and Shanghai.
In New York City, meanwhile, people packed into Times Square hours before midnight to secure coveted spots to watch the annual ball drop.
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People watch as fireworks explode over the Kremlin standing at Red Square blocked by police during New Year celebrations in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. New Year’s Eve is Russia’s major gift-giving holiday, and big Russian cities were awash in festive lights and decorations. Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr / Associated PressRevellers photograph fireworks over the Arc de Triomphe as they celebrate the New Year on the Champs Elysees, in Paris, France, Sunday, Jan.1, 2017. Photo: Christophe Ena / Associated PressFireworks explode over Elizabeth Tower housing the Big Ben clock to celebrate the New Year in London, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Photo: Frank Augstein / Associated PressVail ski and snowboard instructors, some dressed up, help celebrate the New Year after the Torchlight Parade on Golden Peak, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016, in Vail, Colorado. More than 200 instructors and hundreds of Beavo ski school students participated, which followed with fireworks. Photo: Chris Dillmann / Vail Daily via Associated PressFireworks light the sky above the Quadriga at the Brandenburg Gate shortly after midnight in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Hundred thousands of people celebrated New Year’s Eve welcoming the new year 2017 in Germany’s capital. Photo: Michael Sohn / Associated PressPeople watch the fireworks exploding over Copacabana beach during the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Photo: Leo Correa / Associated PressFireworks explode over the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge as New Year’s celebrations are underway in Sydney, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Photo: Rick Rycroft / Associated PressPeople release balloons into the air to celebrate New Year, during a New Year celebration event at a Tokyo Hotel, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Photo: Koji Sasahara / Associated PressPeople release balloons and lanterns in the air in Istanbul’s Ortakoy district by the Bosphorus, during New Year’s cerebrations early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Photo: Emrah Gurel / Associated Press
