NEW YORK, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- Police in New York say New Year's Eve in Times Square went smoothly and may have drawn a record crowd.
Cooperative weather made life easier for the army of revelers, who were kept toasty by sizzling performances by stars such as Justin Bieber, Carlos Santana and Lady Gaga herself, who helped Mayor Michael Bloomberg with the official countdown to 2012.
"This is my hometown, and my dream," Gaga said in a shoutout to the crowd. The pop princess performed a couple of her always imaginative song-and-dance numbers for the crowd decked out in an avant garde and skin-tight costume and mask.
The New York Daily News said she made a splash by giving Bloomberg a solid smooch on the lips as the ball dropped and the New Year was officially rung in.
The crowd was already delirious and also on its best behavior. "I brought my little brother, and we're having the most amazing time," Kylie Koerner, 25, of Reno, Nev., told the Daily News. "We're having so much fun."
Sunday will be dedicated to sweeping up the last of the trash and layers of confetti that ushered 2011 into history.
