Final tickets to be released for London’s New Year’s Eve celebrations
- Last tickets to see the return of the capital’s famous New Year fireworks will go on sale at noon on Friday 2 December
- First batch of tickets for the world-renowned celebration sold out in just over five hours
- More than 100,000 ticket-holders will once again be able to gather on the banks of the Thames to watch London welcome in the new year
The remaining tickets to see London’s spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks celebrations return to the banks of the River Thames will go on sale at noon on Friday 2 December.
Last month the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced that more than 100,000 ticket-holders will be able to gather near the lastminute.com London Eye for the first time since 2019 to welcome in the new year.
The first batch of tickets sold out in just over five hours, and the final batch of around 50,000 are also expected to sell out quickly.
Due to the impact of COVID restrictions for the last two years, the capital has welcomed in the new year with a multi-site spectacular show only available to watch on TV.
This year ticket holders will again be able to watch the fireworks in person, while a global television audience tunes in to see the celebrations and hear the traditional sounds of Big Ben’s chimes marking the start of the new year.
Tickets must be bought in advance and cost £15 – with every penny used to pay for the costs associated with the ticketing scheme. This year, there is also the opportunity to donate to London-based rough sleeping charities when buying tickets, with donations going to akt, Centrepoint, Depaul UK, and New Horizon Youth Centre via TAP London.
Those without a ticket are encouraged to watch the display live on BBC One or via BBC iPlayer alongside millions of viewers or to celebrate the new year at the capital’s fantastic range of bars, restaurants, pubs and clubs.
City Hall is working with a wide range of partner agencies including the Met Police, TfL, local authorities and the emergency services to safely deliver the event.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m incredibly excited that Londoners and visitors to our capital can once again unite on the banks of the Thames to welcome in the new year by watching our world-famous fireworks. We are building a better London for everyone and New Year’s Eve is one of the biggest nights of the year for our hospitality industry with our fireworks providing an incredible moment to send a message of love and celebration to the world. This year will be our best ever and with the first batch of tickets selling out in just over five hours, I urge anyone wanting to attend to book as early as possible.”
Imran Tauqir, General Manager of The lastminute.com London Eye, said: “We are thrilled to have seen such an overwhelmingly positive response to the news that the world famous New Year’s Eve celebrations are returning to The lastminute.com London Eye. As an established part of the capital’s iconic skyline, we are delighted that once again people are able to come back together and celebrate the start of another year in this amazing city. Working closely with the Mayor of London’s office it’s an honour to once again to play our part in putting on a show for thousands of people here on London’s South Bank and around the world to enjoy.”
Notes to editors
MEDIA ACCREDITATION – Photographers, broadcasters and members of the media looking to cover the New Year's Eve fireworks display need official accreditation from the Mayor of London's Press Office. For more information visit: https://www.london.gov.uk/online-press-accreditation-form-new-years-eve-fireworks or email [email protected]
For more information on tickets and the celebration visit: www.london.gov.uk/nye
Approximately 103,000 tickets will be made available for the event this year. This is the same as 2019, but slightly fewer than 2016 (when approximately 110,000 were available) partly due to Thames Tideway Tunnel works taking place on Embankment.
There is a maximum of four tickets per transaction.
The New Year’s Eve fireworks has been a ticketed event since 2014. From 2003-2013, before ticketing was introduced, the event was hugely oversubscribed, with up to 500,000 people heading into central London to try and catch the display. This put enormous strain on transport, infrastructure and the ability of emergency services to move around. A large proportion of those who attended were unable to see the display at all, leaving them disappointed and with nowhere to go at midnight. The sheer numbers threatened the emergency services ability to respond to a major incident effectively, and left many thousands of people cold, tired and unable to get anywhere near the event. Ticketing the event has helped to ensure the long-term sustainability of the fireworks as a safe, enjoyable event. Since ticketing was introduced in 2014, the numbers who attempted to see the fireworks but were unable to do so have reduced.