New Year's Eve in London

London New Year’s Eve Fireworks, a New Year's Eve firework display, is celebrated along the Victoria Embankment and South Bank areas of the River Thames where the London Eye and Big Ben are situated. The countdown is accompanied by the chimes of Big Ben, and a digital countdown timer projected onto the Shell Centre. The fireworks are launched off the London Eye and from barges in the River Thames at midnight. The display is organised by Jack Morton Worldwide,[1] with Titanium Fireworks responsible for the pyrotechnics.[2]

London's New Year's Eve Fireworks
Fireworks over London Eye as part of the multi-sensory New Year's 2013–2014 display
GenreNew Year's Eve event
Date(s)31 December/1 January
Begins20:00 (GMT)
Ends00:45 (GMT)
FrequencyAnnually
Location(s)Victoria Embankment, South Bank and River Thames
Inaugurated2000
FounderMayor of London
Most recent2020–21 (2021)
Next event2021–22 (2022)
AttendanceNil (2020–21)
Budget£1.5 million (2020–21)
Websitehttps://www.london.gov.uk/nye

History

2000–05

In the first New Year's Eve fireworks display over the skies in London in December 1999 to celebrate the year 2000, the BBC estimated that about 3 million people turned up around the Thames to watch the fireworks. A "river of fire" was planned to accompany the fireworks, but failed to make an impact. A fireworks display was planned during 2000 to celebrate 2001, but this was cancelled in November due to a dispute between Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and the London Underground.[3] There were similar disputes, causing displays to be cancelled, for both the 2001–02 and 2002–03 celebrations,[4] although approximately 80,000 revellers gathered around Trafalgar Square to celebrate the New Year, as had been a tradition for many years.[5]

Fireworks resumed for the 2003–04 event, though only for three minutes.

For the 2004–05 event, in the run-up to midnight, an image of candles was projected onto the Shell Centre as a tribute to the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.[6] Also, at midnight, fireworks were launched from the wheel itself for the first time.

2011–20
2011–12In a one-off event, fireworks were fired outwards from the top of the Elizabeth Tower, above the many spectators and well wishers below, welcoming in the year in which London hosted the Olympic Games.[7] Fireworks were launched in the shape and colour of the Olympic flag, in a display that lasted approximately eleven minutes compared to being reduced to eight minutes in 2010.[7]
2012–13The display was based on the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics. The Queen's Christmas speech was used in the fireworks display for the first time.[8]
2013–14The theme of the fireworks was "Firsts"; a projection prior to the fireworks featured Mayor of London Boris Johnson talking about the many firsts that have come from the United Kingdom and London itself.[9] He then went on to explain that the 2013–14 fireworks would be the "world first" multi-sensory fireworks display with fruit flavoured sweets and radio controlled LED bracelets which had previously been used during Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto Tour and the London 2012 Paralympics Closing Ceremony being handed out to revellers when entering the viewing areas.[10] These sweets were as stated in the information leaflet to be eaten prior to the display to "prepare" spectators with the flavours that they were going to experience during the evening. Scented mists and edible flavoured foam were also sprayed throughout the performance.[11][12]
2014–15The designer of the display stated that the fireworks would focus on how London could maintain its reputation as a world-class city. It was also focused on how the New Year's event in London was special to the public.[13] Controversially, a £10 charge was introduced by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, for tickets to the official viewing areas.[14]
2015–16The Mayor of London announced a partnership with UNICEF, as part of an appeal to support children affected by the Syrian civil war. Multiple London and Edinburgh landmarks were lit in blue in support of the campaign.[15]
2016–17The display focused on reflections of the past year, with themes focusing on Team GB's greatest ever success at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The display also paid homage to Prince, David Bowie and Ronnie Corbett, who all died in 2016.
2017–18The fireworks display was entitled "Women 100", honouring the then-upcoming centennial of women's suffrage in the United Kingdom.[16][17] A series of 23 red fireworks set to Ariana Grande's "One Last Time" were launched in remembrance of the 23 people who died in the Manchester Arena bombing.[18][19]
2018–19The fireworks display contained some political imagery reflecting London's "relationship with Europe", opening with the phrase "London is open" (which has been used by Mayor Sadiq Khan, a notable opponent of the UK's exit from the European Union) spoken in multiple languages, and featured a sequence in which the London Eye was lit in the colours of the flag of Europe. The theme was also reflected in some of the featured songs, such as "Don't Leave Me Alone, "Stay", and "We Are Your Friends". This attracted criticism from Brexit supporters, who said that this was an unnecessary political gesture for a public event.[20][21]
2019–20The display theme was 'British New Decade'. The display featured music and soundbites relating to the then-upcoming UEFA Euro 2020,[22] in which London hosted seven games, including the final.[23][24]

2020–21

On 18 September 2020, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan told LBC that the 2020–21 fireworks at the London Eye had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, as it would encourage public gatherings discouraged under public health orders and guidance at the time. Khan, as well as the office of the mayor, stated that an alternative event would be announced.[25]

The alternate event was announced as being a television presentation on BBC One, which would feature "highlights" of the past year [26] Due to Tier 4 restrictions in London and the majority of England,[27] almost all gatherings are prohibited, and residents must refrain from leaving their homes without a "reasonable excuse".[28]

However, the event was ultimately a fireworks show and drone display centred upon various locations in London, including The Shard, The O2, Tower Bridge, and Wembley Stadium. The show featured tributes to Captain Tom's charity walk, the National Health Service (NHS), and the Black Lives Matter movement. The finale of the show included an environmental appeal narrated by David Attenborough, while the city also promoted the event as being London's most "environmentally-friendly" New Year's Eve event.[29][27][30]

Themes

Since 2011–12, themes have been introduced with the displays:

Themes of the London New Year's Eve celebrations
Year Theme Theme description
2011–12 Olympic Celebration Honouring London's hosting of the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012–13 Best of 2012 Honouring British achievements during the 2012 Summer Olympics, and the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.
2013–14 Firsts Honouring "firsts" achieved by London and the United Kingdom.
2014–15 World Class City Showcasing London's reputation as a "world-class city".
2015–16 Happy Blue Year Tie-in with UNICEF "New Year's Resolution for Children" campaign.[31]
2016–17 Reflections Honouring British achievements during the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralymics.
2017–18 Women 100 Honoured the centennial of women's suffrage in the United Kingdom.
2018–19 London is Open Celebrating London's relationship with Europe amid Brexit.[32]
2019–20 British New Decade Honouring London's hosting of matches during UEFA Euro 2020, with music from London and European acts.[24]
2020–21 The Power of Hope A firework and drone display and a light show reflecting on Britain's hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic, with tributes to the NHS and Black Lives Matter protests.

Broadcast

The fireworks are broadcast on BBC One and BBC News on their annual New Year's Eve programme.[33][34] In addition, the millennium display was broadcast on the BBC's 2000 Today.

Sky One broadcasts the fireworks, shared with Sky News which has its own coverage of the fireworks, including Edinburgh's Hogmanay as well. ITV runs a special programme from ITV News called ITV News Including New Year Bongs.[35] Other international news channels such as CNN broadcast live coverage of the fireworks.

The 2016-17 show was also recorded and streamed in 360-degree video.[36]

See also

References
  1. Barnett, Lauren (3 January 2019). "Jack Morton successfully delivers "European friendships" NYE fireworks". Stand Out Magazine. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  2. "The Mayor of London New Years Eve Celebrations 2018". Titanium Fireworks. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  3. "London New Year's party cancelled". BBC News Online. 20 November 2000. Archived from the original on 11 August 2003. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  4. "Culture, Sport and Tourism Committee" (PDF). London Assembly. 20 November 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 August 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  5. "A damp squib: the Mayor's plans for New Year's Eve" (PDF). London Assembly. 1 December 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2014. Report of the Culture, Sport and Tourism Committee – December 2002
  6. Rubenfeld, Vik (1 January 2005). "Happy New Year!". The Big Picture. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014. New Year's Eve, London—An Image of Candles is Projected onto the Shell Building (left) as a Tribute to the Victims of the Asian Tsunami (REUTERS/Matt Dunham)
  7. "London gets ready for New Year's Eve's firework display". BBC News Online. 30 December 2011. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  8. "London enjoys new year fireworks display". BBC News Online. 1 January 2013. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  9. "Vodafone joins forces with Mayor for world's first multi-sensory fireworks display". Greater London Authority. 9 December 2013. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  10. "Vodafone Announces 'Vodafone Firsts' New Global Own-Brand Engagement Strategy". Vodafone UK. 9 December 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  11. "Multisensory Fireworks". Bompas & Parr. 19 December 2013. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  12. Cavaliere, Victoria; Johnson, Eric M. (1 January 2014). "Revellers usher in 2014 with fireworks and fruit mist". Reuters. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  13. "Designing London's New Year's Eve fireworks – Design Week". DesignWeek.co.uk. 19 December 2014. Archived from the original on 31 December 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  14. Quinn, Ben (31 December 2014). "New Year's Eve revellers without tickets warned away from London fireworks". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 January 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  15. "Mayor's New Year's Eve fireworks display with Unicef". Archived from the original on 29 December 2016.
  16. "Girl power to rock the show at London's New Year's Eve firework display". BT.com. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  17. "Security for New Year's Eve celebrations reviewed, Met Police says". Sky News. 28 December 2017. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  18. "Ariana Grande leads the London New Year's Eve fireworks soundtrack". NME. 1 January 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  19. Stinson, Nicole (1 January 2018). "Happy New Year! Stunning London Eye fireworks welcome Britain into 2018". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  20. Walker, Peter (1 January 2019). "Sadiq Khan angers Brexiters with pro-EU fireworks display". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  21. "New Year's Eve fireworks in London will celebrate city's 'relationship with Europe', says Sadiq Khan". The Independent. 31 December 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  22. UEFA.com (17 March 2020). "UEFA postpones EURO 2020 by 12 months | Inside UEFA". UEFA.com. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  23. "New Year's Eve: Police warning as UK prepares for 2020". 31 December 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  24. "London's New Year fireworks display to look ahead to Euro 2020". ITV News. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  25. "Coronavirus: London's New Year's Eve fireworks cancelled". BBC News. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  26. Lydall, Ross (18 December 2020). "London's NYE fireworks to be replaced by TV show of 2020 highlights". The Evening Standard. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  27. "New Year's Eve: UK sees in 2021 with fireworks and light show". BBC News. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  28. SI 1611 (2020), Reg 2(13)).
  29. "Khan defends New Year light show tribute to NHS, Captain Tom and Black Lives Matter". The Independent. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  30. "Fireworks, lighting and drones help London welcome 2021". London City Hall. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  31. Macdonald, Nicola (4 January 2016). "Mayor of London's Office partners with Unicef for spectacular NYE display". Access All Areas. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  32. "The team behind London's NYE fireworks". BBC News. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  33. "New Year Live". New Year Live. London. 31 December 2012 – 31 December 2012. BBC. BBC One. Archived from the original on 7 January 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  34. "New Year Live". New Year Live. London. 31 December 2014 – 31 December 2014. BBC. BBC One. Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  35. "What's on TV for New Year's Eve 2018? How to watch the fireworks, live music and countdown to 2019". Radio Times. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  36. "London New Year's Eve Fireworks 2016". Archived from the original on 29 December 2016.
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