More than a million people in New York's Times Square hailed the arrival of 2016 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 at the center of the famed Manhattan crossroads, the climax of an annual rite of winter dating back to 1904.

With memories of the deadly attacks in Paris and California still fresh, police took extraordinary measures to ensure security at a gathering that has come to define the New York experience for many visitors to the largest US city.