One of the biggest countdown events on this planet happened in Manhattan, with over a million people braving the rain to watch the ball drop in Times Square. /VCG Photo

It seems that the only unexpected hitch was the rain. Tourists and revelers wrapped in raincoats while waiting for the coming New Year. /VCG Photo

This year, the countdown event was to celebrate journalism and press freedom by honoring the Committee to Protect Journalists. Last year, civil rights activist Tarana Burke, who had founded the MeToo Movement, was invited to press the button to kick off the ball drop. /VCG Photo

Along with 1,200 cameras fixed on the excited crowds, New York police officers and security dogs stood at the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square. /VCG Photo