London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – London’s New Year fireworks went ahead, while heavy storms forced the cancellation of celebrations across the UK, including in Edinburgh and Blackpool.
The bad weather led to the halt of several New Year events nationwide, but London celebrated.
The annual iconic event in the capital attracted tens of thousands, while more than millions have watched the celebrations on TV.
Approximately 100,000 people secured tickets for the extraordinary fireworks display.
While speaking before the event, London’s mayor Sadiq Khan stated, “I’m really excited about the London New Year’s Eve fireworks, the biggest fireworks taking place anywhere across Europe.”
Mr Khan said the event had lots of fireworks, an impressive light show, and accompanying stunning music.
As reported by The Guardian, the UK was affected by downpours and high winds from Tuesday night into Wednesday.
When Big Ben chimes in 2025, the 11-minute fireworks display began with the message “Your New Year Is Unwritten.”
The celebration featured music from artists like Vera Lynn and One Direction, along with voiceovers from stars like Dame Imelda Staunton. The event reflected on 2024, looking back on topics such as the weather, the Paris Olympics, and Euro 2024.
This grand event also celebrated the 25th birthday of the London Eye, which featured in the fireworks with a note to “honour our history and never give up hope for our future.”
London’s iconic show was arranged by London’s mayor, Sir Khan, who described this fireworks display as the biggest event in Europe.
Meanwhile, due to bad weather predictions, New Year’s shows scheduled in Blackpool, Newcastle’s quayside, the Isle of Wight, Bangor in north Wales, and Ripon North Yorkshire, were called off, following the earlier cancellation of the Hogmanay festival in Edinburgh.
Two firework displays in Lowestoft, Suffolk, planned for welcoming the new year, were rescheduled for Saturday.
The largest show, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay festival, featuring music, street parties, and fireworks, was also cancelled, with about 50,000 attendees typically fore. The event organizers expressed an apology to the travellers who came from other cities.
Two outsiders, Aditi Sahu and Neeraj Krishnan, both 35, came from London to see the fireworks. Both expressed they felt stuck and didn’t know how to spend New Year’s.
Another attendee, Elsia Dorris, basically from Spain but now living in Dublin, travelled to Edinburgh to watch the iconic fireworks with her colleagues.
A lawyer from Singapore, David Liew, 59 years old, flew to Edinburgh to spend a three-week holiday in the UK and celebrate the new year, he stated he planned to simply “walk around.”
The Met Office initially issued a yellow warning for snow and heavy rain across Scotland, which it said could cause disruptions before New Year’s Eve. The alert was later limited to cover only the Highlands and Moray, lasting until 4 am.
As the New Year arrives, citizens in the east of Scotland, north-east England, and Northern Ireland may see a glimpse of the aurora borealis, also named as northern lights.
Darryl Fleming, head of London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks, stated on Tuesday that they aim to deliver the full show, with safety precautions, such as changing firework angles to adjust wind risks. He admitted to feeling anxious but was confident about the team’s preparation for the annual event.
Artificial intelligence is being used to improve fireworks shows, fine-tuning aspects such as height, timing, and path. Algorithms predict factors like wind to enhance the display’s performance.