Times Square hails arrival of 2016

America's biggest New Year's Eve celebration unfolded without a hitch

Published Fri, Jan 1, 2016 · 09:50 PM

    New York

    MORE than a million people in New York's Times Square hailed the arrival of 2016 early on Friday with kisses, cheers and a measure of relief as America's biggest New Year's Eve celebration unfolded without a hitch under a blanket of unprecedented security.

    The transition to the new year was marked by the descent of the traditional lighted crystal ball from atop a skyscraper amid fireworks and a blizzard of confetti at the centre of the famed Manhattan crossroads, the climax of an annual rite of winter dating back to 1904.