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

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 NY experience for many visitors to the largest US city.

Each year the mayor and a special guest pushes the Waterford crystal button that activates the descent of the ball down the Times Square flagpole.

Revelers stand in pens as they await New Year’s Eve festivities in the Times Square area of New York December 31, 2015 Revelers stand in line to enter pens in order to await New Year’s Eve festivities in the Times Square area of New York December 31, 2015.

A crowd of more than a million people poured into New York City’s Times Square under heavy security to celebrate the arrival of 2016 with the traditional dropping of the New Year’s Eve crystal ball.

New York City is expected a million revelers in Times Square, according to NBC News.

Planning for New Year’s Eve begins the day after last year’s bash. Around 1 million people are expected to converge on Times Square.

The famous New Year’s Eve ball, which is 12 feet (3.66 meters) in diameter and weighs almost 6 tons, descends on a pole mounted on top of One Times Square, a narrow wedge of a building at the southern end of the square.

We’re not going to be covering the events of the stream too much (typically some of the crazier moments happen during some of the TV broadcasts), but we did want to at least offer this up as some sort of an alternative to some of the things that are out there. CNN’s Anderson Cooper will also be hosting the hourly countdown at 6.58 p.m. ET, with Bill Nye the Science Guy taking over the hourly update at 8.58 p.m. ET.

Providing the soundtrack for the iconic celebration will be Luke Bryan, Charlie Puth, Demi Lovato and Carrie Underwood. Although Taylor Swift won’t be performing live, Dick Clark Productions reports that her new music video, “Out of the Woods” will premiere during NYRE.

Each year someone new gets to drop the ball..

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You can also watch both shows and the Times Square Ball drop on your mobile device by downloading the WATCH ABC app (New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2016 with Ryan Seacrest) or the NBC mobile app (New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly) for your iPhone or Android device.