London New Year’s Eve Fireworks | The Ultimate Experience Guide

The world loves to ring in the New Year with a bash and London is rife with options. From the amazing New Year’s day parades, New Year’s Eve shows, and all-night parties at clubs to the dazzling lights of the fireworks, you’ll find yourself juggling one with the other. One of the best ways to welcome 2023 would be to watch the London New Year’s Eve midnight fireworks’ display in London. It’s a magical sight, bedazzling rather.

Here's all you need to know about the London New Year fireworks, the best restaurants to watch the fireworks from, how to get around during this time of celebration, and other parties and events where you can bid farewell to 2022.

Why Visit London for the Fireworks

The London New Year’s Eve fireworks is an annual affair which is watched by half a million people, some on their TV sets while others watch the display from various places in London, including the Victoria Embankment, the South Bank, Westminster Bridge, and Waterloo Bridge which are the best ones. Over 12,000 fireworks are launched from the foot of the London Eye and from rafts on the Thames at midnight and they light up central London for an hour.

You can catch a bird's eye view of London from the 72nd floor of The Shard, Western Europe's tallest building, standing at 1016 ft. The 360-degree panoramic view stretches over 40 miles of London’s cityscape. The view is breathtaking, and you can’t miss it if you are in London on New Year’s Eve. You can buy your The View from The Shard tickets here.

Headout offers another ticket, a hot-selling combo offer of The View From The Shard with 24 hours unlimited Thames Cruise. The cruise is a hop-on-hop-off one that covers the most important and iconic sights in the city. You can collect your tickets from either Westminster Pier (SW1A 2JH), Tower Pier (EC3N 4DT) or Greenwich Pier (SE10 9HT).

You can dive into the festive fervor at Winter Wonderland which has rides, markets, and shows or go pub crawling with Zoo Bar's New Year's Eve Pub Crawl. If you want a divine cultural evening, opt for the Viennese New Year’s Eve Gala at the Barbican or watch Birmingham Royal Ballet perform The Nutcracker at the Royal Albert Hall.

Best Spots to View Fireworks in London

Parties and Events around Town

SkyBar

London’s SkyBar stays true to their motto states, ‘Party in the Sky’. Located on the 28th floor of London's Millbank Tower, this rooftop restaurant provides a stunning view of the London skyline and more importantly, a luxurious serving on New Year’s Eve. A top-of-the-world view of the fireworks is accompanied by unlimited live food stations from around the world and nonstop entertainment from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM.

Radio Rooftop

Join the ultimate New Year’s Eve party at Radio Rooftop in ME Hotel. You can catch one of the best views of London’s fireworks. Enjoy their canapés, drinks at the open bar, and all-night-long entertainment. Doors will open at 7:30 PM and it’s £225 per guest.

London Party Boats

The London party boats give people the option to party on the Thames with their friends and family along with watching the extravagant fireworks while onboard. These boats have a fully licensed bar on board and central heating. Some boats, like the Mercia of the Westminster Party Boats, even offer dinner buffets free of charge.

Ping Pong SouthBank

The Ping Pong restaurant in South Bank offers a special viewing area at midnight for the London fireworks, which means you have time till 12 to savor their dimsums. It’s £150 per person and the party starts at 6:00 PM in the evening and continues until 3:00 in the night. They also have a photobooth and serve you a glass of bubbly at midnight.

Bar&Co

Bar&Co is known to be London’s best moored bar and is located at Victoria Embankment. On New Year’s Eve, the boat will be a buzzing party hub from where you can see the dazzling fireworks. The party will start at 6pm and continue until 3 in the night.

Getting Around London on NYE

Transport for London (TfL) has announced that people can commute free of charge (public transportation only) from 11:45 PM on New Year’s Eve through to 4:30 AM on New Year’s Day.

London Underground : Trains will run throughout the night with minor exceptions. Some stations may remain closed at night. Trains won’t run between Earl’s Court and Kensington (Olympia). The Waterloo & City line will run every 3-10 minutes until about 2:30 AM.

London Overground : Trains won’t run between Romford and Upminster, Gospel Park and Barking. Other trains will run a Saturday service. Some services will run through the night. On the DLR, trains will run every 15 minutes on all routes from 12:30am until 8:00 AM. On the TfL Rail, trains will run every 15 minutes (on the open section of the line) and continue through the night. Replacement buses will run between Chadwell Heath and Shenfield.

Trams : There will be a special all-night service every 30 minutes between Wimbledon and Beckenham Junction / New Addington.

Buses : Buses will run a Saturday service and some day routes will continue through the night. Central London routes will be diverted. Most bus services are expected to return to normal by 6:00 AM except those affected by the New Year's Day parade.

Taxis : Taxis and mini-cabs will charge 1.5 times the normal rates but they are your best option to get to central London from Heathrow Airport if you want to avoid the New Year’s Eve crowds in the tubes and buses.

Know Before You Go

The extravagant display of London’s annual fireworks on New Year’s Eve begins at midnight. It’s an hour-long show which never fails to leave spectators mesmerized. If you are planning to watch from the Victoria Embankment, South Bank, and Waterloo Bridge, make sure you book your tickets (£10) to the venues well in advance. You can also enjoy the fireworks from Cannon Street, Tower Bridge and Parliament Hill, which are the non-ticketed areas. Try to reach these places early to avoid getting squished.

• Dress in layers: It’s going to be biting cold in London, so don’t forget your thermals, gloves and jacket.

• Be prepared to stand: The ticketed areas typically open at 7:00 PM and close at 9:00 PM. The fireworks start at midnight. Given it’s advisable to reach early, expect to be on your feet for almost 6 hours.

• Bring supplies: Carry your own food and drinks, as some places, such as the north side of the river between Westminster Bridge and the Embankment station, may not have any concession stands. Alcohol is allowed but only in non-glass containers.

• Photography: If getting a clear view for photos is important to you, join the queue into the event at least a few hours prior. Otherwise, there will be no open spots along the barrier.

• Avoiding the crowds: Reach early to secure a fair viewing spot and stick around after the fireworks’ display is over. That way you can avoid the first rush of people who head to the stations to get back home.

• Book accommodation early: With all the New Year’s Eve related booking, don’t forget to prioritize your accommodation. Reserve your room early because the prices will increase as December closes in and worse, you might not find any rooms if you run late.

• Pack your entertainment: While there is no possibility of getting bored in such a festive ambience with the DJ playing music all night, you might get tired of dancing. In case that happens, you can take a break and play some card games with your pack to retain your energy till midnight and later.

• Party after the fireworks: If you are planning to hit a club after the fireworks, be prepared to pay a hefty cover charge.

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