People around the world shrugged off terror jitters to welcome the new year in style. <br/><br/>Pacific islands including Samoa, Tonga and Kiribati were the first to enter 2017 followed by Auckland in New Zealand. <br/><br/>Australia's biggest city Sydney kicked off the party with a spectacular fireworks display that lit up its iconic harbour.<br/><br/>Around 1.5 million people packed the city to watch the midnight fireworks which erupted from Sydney Harbour Bridge sending rainbow-coloured showers soaring into the night sky. Security was stepped up in major world cities from Sydney to New York as authorities fretted that the large crowds of people could present a target for terrorists.<br/>'<br/>Crowds in Hong Kong also flocked to the waterfront to watch fireworks explode over Victoria Harbour, while in Japan thousands packed the streets of Tokyo to release balloons into the air. People released balloons, carrying their wishes, into the air to celebrate New Year. <br/><br/>Dubai marked the new year with its usual gigantic pyrotechnics off the world's highest skyscraper, Burj Khalifa, as well as other landmarks. <br/><br/>European cities including Berlin, London, Paris and Rome stepped up security ahead of their celebrations, following truck-ramming attacks in 2016 on crowds in Berlin and Nice, France.<br/><br/>Paris cancelled fire works at the Eiffel Tower again this year. <br/><br/>Brussels reinstated its firework show after it was cancelled last year at the last minute due to a terrorist threat.<br/><br/>In Russia, fireworks exploded over the Kremlin during New Year celebrations in Moscow.