Photos: 13 Snapshots of New Year's Eve Celebrations Around the World

As a cascade of clocks began striking midnight in one time zone after another, revelers around the world saw the sky light up with fireworks, released balloons into the night air, took in performances by celebrities and children and otherwise welcomed the new year.

People have already marked the occasion in some places, everywhere from Russia and Australia to Japan and South Korea, and from China, Singapore and India to Berlin and Brussels.

This year, some of the lighthearted festivities were burdened with safety concerns. Fear of a terrorist attack led authorities in Brussels to cancel the city's traditional display of pyrotechnics, while New York has heightened its security for the impending Times Square bash.

In Dubai, a fire erupted at the Address Hotel on New Year's Eve, reportedly injuring more than a dozen people. Still, the evening's celebrations and fireworks display in that city proceeded as planned.

For some, midnight has come and gone, but those in the Americas and elsewhere are still counting down the hours and minutes to 2016.