As 2016 draws to a close, revelers around the world are bidding a weary adieu to a year filled with political surprises, prolonged conflicts and deaths of legendary celebrities.

After a year that saw the deaths of a seemingly endless parade of entertainers, Sydney honored some of the most beloved. The city's famed fireworks display over the harbor paid homage to Prince and David Bowie, and set to a music medley inspired by the late singers.

But Sydney was not the first to welcome 2017. Auckland in New Zealand became the first major world city to welcome the New Year. Fireworks erupted from the 328m (1,080ft) tall Sky Tower in the city centre.

How the rest of people are ushering in the new year:

TURKEY

The weather forecast for New Year's Eve is good news for those planning ski getaways or for revelers who just enjoy a cold, snowy night outside. Turkey is already going through a cold spell and snowfall and rain crept into the normally warm western regions this week.

Turkey is a country that holds great significance in the history of Christianity why it can be a very special time to discover Istanbul's churches, hotels and restaurants decked in the holiday spirit.

Turks actually celebrate what they call "Noel" on New Year's Eve and decorated trees and exchange gifts with love ones. In cosmopolitan areas especially, streets and shopping centers were decked out in stunning Christmas decorations.

LAS VEGAS

More than 300,000 visitors are expected to descend on Las Vegas for an extravagant New Year's Eve celebration.

Nightclubs are pulling out all the stops with performances from DJ Calvin Harris, rappers T-Pain and Kendrick Lamar and artists Drake and Bruno Mars. The city's celebrity chefs have crafted elaborate prix fixe menus complete with caviar and champagne toasts.

An eight-minute fireworks show will kick off at the stroke of midnight, with rockets launching from the tops of half a dozen casinos.

Federal officials have ranked the celebration just below the Super Bowl and on par with the festivities in Times Square. FBI and Secret Service agents will work alongside local police departments that are putting all hands on deck for the big night.

GERMANY

In Berlin the mood was more somber than celebratory.

"I don't like the way politics is going," said Daniel Brandt. "Fears are being fanned and people are so angry with each other."

The tone of public debate in Germany has become shriller over the past two years with the influx of hundreds of thousands of refugees. Some Germans blame Chancellor Angela Merkel for terroists attacks, others resist this accusation.

As the country heads for a general election in which the anti-refugee Alternative for Germany party is expected to poll strongly, Brandt said he was hoping for "proper solutions to our problems."

Two Israeli tourists, on a visit to the German capital, seemed at a loss when asked about their wishes for 2017. "Peace on Earth. Just happiness, really," said Nathan and Libat, declining to give their last names.

Berlin hosts Germany's biggest open-air New Year's Eve celebration near the city's iconic Brandenburg Gate. Security, as in previous years, was tight Saturday, with police checking the bags of those entering the party zone.

Authorities have also increased police presence at hotspots in other major cities, including Cologne where far-right extermist groups predominantly live in.

JAPAN

Temple bells will echo at midnight as families gather around noodles and revelers flock to shrines for the biggest holiday in Japan.

"I feel this sense of duality," said Kami Miyamoto, 21, an economics student at Meiji University in Tokyo, who traveled home in Hakusan, Ishikawa prefecture, for the holiday.

"The world is heading toward conservative insular policies," she said of the U.S. election, Brexit and what she believes lies ahead for elections in Europe in 2017. "We learned about how valuable it is to get correct information."

One of the most memorable experiences for Miyamoto in 2016 was a three-week study program in South Korea. She was surprised and moved by the friendship she formed with South Korean students, and she has decided to focus her studies on relations with South Korea.

"Studying about the U.S. and Europe seems to be about looking at the past, but East Asian studies are focusing on the future," she said.

Miyamoto's mother is preparing soba noodles, a standard New Year's Eve dish in Japan, except in their home it will be filled with green onions and shrimp. As the new year rolls in, the entire family, including her younger brother and sister, will drive to a nearby shrine, which, like temples all over Japan, will be filled with those praying for good fortune in the Year of the Rooster, according to the Chinese zodiac.

CHINA

Residents in Beijing and Shanghai, China's two largest cities, will pass New Year's Eve in a relative state of security lockdown, according to Chinese media reports citing police.

The Bund waterfront in Shanghai will not have any celebrations, authorities announced this week, while the sale, use and transportation of fireworks in central Shanghai will be prohibited altogether. Large buildings that often display light shows will also stay dark. More than 30 people died two years ago in a deadly stampede on Shanghai's waterfront, where 300,000 people had gathered to watch a planned light show.

Beijing police also said countdowns, lightshows, lotteries and other organized activities will not be held in popular shopping districts such as Sanlitun and Guomao. Beijing police advised citizens to avoid crowded areas, closely watch elderly relatives and children, and be aware of exit routes in venues.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said in his annual New Year's Eve address that his government will continue to focus on poverty alleviation at home and resolutely defending China's territorial rights on the foreign front.

SOUTH KOREA

Hundreds of thousands of South Koreans ushered in the new year with a massive protest demanding the resignation of President Park Geun-hye. It was the 10th straight weekend of protests that led to Park's impeachment on Dec. 9 over a corruption scandal.

The evening rally was to overlap with Seoul's traditional bell-tolling ceremony at the Bosinkgak pavilion at midnight, which was also expected to be a political statement against Park.

The city's mayor, Park Won-soon, invited as guests a man whose teenage son was among more than 300 people who died during a 2014 ferry sinking, and a woman who was forced into sexual slavery by Japan's World War II military.

Park came under heavy criticism over the way her government handled the ferry disaster.

"So many unbelievable things happened in 2016. It didn't feel real; if felt like a movie," protester Lee Huymi said about the bizarre scandal that brought Park down. "So I hope 2017 brings a movie-like ending to the mess. Everything getting solved, quickly and all at once, leaving us all happy."

INDIA

For most people in India, New Year's Eve is a time for family. In New Delhi and many other cities, newspapers are full of big advertisements for lavish parties at upscale hotels and restaurants. The big draws at the hotel parties are song and dance performances from Bollywood and television stars.

Police with breath analyzers check for drunk driving, and security is tightened in malls and restaurants.

The western city of Mumbai will host big street parties with thousands of people at the iconic Gateway of India, a colonial-era structure on the waterfront overlooking the Arabian Sea. There'll be music and dancing and occasional fireworks.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

In Dubai, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to watch as fireworks shoot from the sides of the world's tallest building, the 828-meter (2,716-foot) Burj Khalifa. The show also will be streamed live online.