Sydney Opera House and bridge to sparkle with fireworks as Asia-Pacific ushers in New Year

CANBERRA, Australia – Sydney's iconic opera house and harbor bridge will sparkle with tons of exploding fireworks as cities in the Asia-Pacific region become among the first to usher in the New Year.

Sydney officials on Tuesday promised the Australian's city's annual world-renowned pyrotechnics show would be more extravagant than ever, with more than 1.6 million revelers expected to line the harbor shores for a view.

The mood will likely to be more subdued in the Philippines, which is three hours behind Sydney, where the lives of millions of people remain disrupted by Typhoon Haiyan.

In Sydney, the local council said in a statement that fireworks will be launched from four sails of the Sydney Opera House for the first time in more than a decade.