Throngs usher in 2016 at bash in New York’s Times Square

Imagine if you were standing outside in Times Square for New Year’s Eve.

The New Year’s Times Square celebrations will center on the theme of the “Gift of Imagination” with the huge ball set to begin its drop from 11.59 p.m. ET tonight.

There was also a “Japan Countdown” event at the main stage especially for Japanese people living in NY, held at midnight Japan time (10 a.m. EST on December 31, 2015).

The New York Police Department (NYPD) said it is “very, very confident that New Year’s Eve inNew York City will be the safest place in the world to be”.

Every year, it is estimated that over a million people all flock to the NY area for this celebration, which is typically chaotic.

The well-attended tradition started back in 1907, according to The New York Times.

Gomez came to Times Square even though he said he was concerned about the area being targeted in an attack.

“Rockin’ Eve’s” total was far ahead of the 5.4 million who turned out for its main rival, “New Year’s Eve With Carson Daly ” on NBC (Daly logged 8.6 million for the late-night portion).

A member of the cleanup crew sweeps confetti in New York’s Times Square after the New Year’s Eve celebration as seen from the Marriott Marquis hotel, Friday, Jan. 1, 2016.

Almost 6,000 police officers will patrol Times Square, some in civilian clothes and many heavily armed. New Year’s Eve With Carson Daly did the same, with an wonderful performance by Gwen Stefani.

Looking to ring in 2016 by watching the Times Square ball drop?

Simultaneous fireworks displays erupted along Sydney’s famed harbor, where crowds clinked glasses and whooped with joy as the first pyrotechnics exploded. “We know how to do big events, we’ve shown it time and time again”, said New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio.

“We are not aware of any threat we deem credible”, NYPD Commissioner William Bratton said.

But some in the crowd were jittery, admitting to being nervous to gather in such a famous location in the weeks after the Paris and San Bernardino attacks.

“We are very confident that New Year’s Eve in New York City will be the safest place in the world to be”, said James Water, the city’s counterterrorism chief. She will be joined by Maggie Rulli, Andrea Boehlke and Jeremy Hassell, who return for their third New Year’s Eve webcast.