Thousands of revelers braved rainy weather to ring in the new year in Times Square Saturday night, marking the first full-scale celebration at the Crossroads of the World since the pandemic began.

Mayor Eric Adams pushed the button to start the ball drop countdown as spectators bid farewell to 2022 and welcomed 2023.

Onlookers traveled from all over the country — and around the globe — to watch the 6-ton Waterford Crystal ball descend.

Randy Cleveland told NY1's Roger Clark he traveled to the Big Apple from Wisconsin for the event.

"It's just been something I've been thinking about since I was like, probably 10 — 40 years-plus. I always wanted to go to New York for the ball drop," Cleveland said. "Dick Clark, I watched him as a kid, so it was [on my] bucket list."

Organizers and city officials anticipated the crowds of people who gathered in the streets in front of One Times Square to greet 2023.

NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell on Saturday said the department had "thousands of officers" patrolling the area.

"Nobody does it better than the NYPD," Sewell said. "Last year was muted - we still had the COVID restrictions in place — but this year, we're back to full strength, and absolutely everything we can bring to bear to make sure this is a safe event, we have done so."

A day before Saturday's festivities, organizers tested the New Year's Eve ball to make sure it was ready for the big event.

"You'll see fireworks in Sydney, you'll see fireworks in London, fireworks in Moscow, fireworks in Hong Kong," Jeffrey Strauss, the president of Countdown Entertainment, said. "But it's only here in New York City that you have this magical Waterford Crystal ball."