Police have praised the behaviour of thousands of Canberra party-goers who welcomed the New Year in Civic, saying only one arrest was made during the celebrations.

Alcohol-free events were held in the city centre to mark the start of 2017, and police said the vast majority abided by the rules.

However 26 teenagers were taken into custody for underage drinking, while five adults were also picked up by police for public intoxication.

Six infringement notices were issued for alcohol consumption and public urination.

Fireworks displays attracted thousands to the city centre. ( ABC News: Andrew Kennedy )

Only one man was arrested in the city during the celebrations, and police said they only picked up one drunk driver on Canberra's roads.

"Canberra's New Year's Eve revellers were generally well behaved," Superintendent Peter Kuhnke from ACT Policing said.

"I'm happy to say there were no major incidents; there were a number of people who were intoxicated, some sought medical support from the ambulance service that was working at the time, but outside of that there was no significant incidents or injuries.

"It was certainly pleasing for police to see the majority of people having a good time, looking after each other and staying safe."

Most party-goers abided by alcohol-free rules. ( ABC News: Andrew Kennedy )

Fireworks displays were held on City Hill at 9:00pm and midnight, along with a dance party at Garema place and other entertainment at Civic Square.

The ACT Government had urged Canberrans to keep the city clean during the events, and clean-up crews were out in force from 5:00am New Year's Day.

"New Year's Day is the biggest day of the year for our staff," City Services Minister Meegan Fitzharris said.

"Every year our crews find themselves cleaning large volumes of litter, bottles, and broken glass.

"In short, they clean up what most others would not want to even look at."