The London New Year’s Eve fireworks has become one of the world’s great public displays. Yes, even rivaling Sydney’s
The capital’s big fireworks extravaganza for 2015 rolling in to 2016, like last year, is a ticketed event in order to control crowd numbers and safety.
Tickets have been fully allocated, so if you do not have a ticket already then you will have to try and find some other vantage point, probably for a view of the smoke if you are lucky, not so close to the action – which is centred around Big Ben and the London Eye on the Thames.
Note: The London New Year’s Eve fireworks will not be shown on big screens in Trafalgar or Parliament Square, as in some previous years.
Honestly, if you do not have a ticket it isn’t really worth the hassle of going in to town. The best view you will get is on TV.
1) If you have a ticket and are coming to view the fireworks, check out the information on the official London.gov.uk website and follow the live info on the official Twitter feed: @LDN_Gov
2) Travel by public transport. If you drive into town during the day you may not be able to drive home once road closures have been put in place. Check out the official road closures map for full details.
3) Pretty much forget about using taxis and mini-cabs. If you try and phone one it could be hours before it gets to you and then there is a very high chance you will have to drive the long way around due to road closures and get stuck in horrendous traffic, spending more time with your driver than with your friends. Walk to the buses and Tube.
4) Don’t leave it till the last minute to try and get there or you will very likely be hugely disappointed. Central London is a busy place at the best of times and transport on New Year’s Eve, while often surprisingly OK, can turn into an absolute nightmare if you time it badly. Assume the worst, leave extra early and be there with plenty of time to spare and soak up the revelry.
5) Don’t be tempted to buy a ticket for yourself or a friend off a scalper. There will likely be plenty of dodgy geezers about London, spruiking tickets. They could be genuine and very expensive, but they could very well be fakes.
6) Watch out for pickpockets. Take only what you need and keep it all close to your body or your 2015 may not start so well.
7) Rug up. It’s forecast to be as low as 7 degrees at midnight this New Year’s Eve, which isn’t too bad for mid-winter London. And hopefully the rain stays away. But don’t take any chances; it can get surprisingly extra chilly by the river, especially if you have been standing outdoors for hours and hours. Get those layers on.
8) Learn the words to Auld Lang Syne, so you can join in heartily with the big sing-a-long rather than mumble your way through with a goofy look on your face. And it’s pretty short and easy:
Auld Lang Syne: lyrics
Verse: Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!
Chorus: For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
9) For your after party, remember that many bars and clubs are also ticket only and possibly booked out. If you haven’t made arrangements already, don’t be picky. If you see a place without a mile-long long queue… do it! Don’t fuss too much about the outrageous entry price, and kick on with the celebrations!
10) Tell your very jealous friends who don’t have tickets that you will wave to them on telly.
IMAGE: London Big Ben – fireworks at new Year’s Eve (via Shutterstock.com)