London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Darryl Fleming, head of London’s New Year fireworks, is confident in his team’s preparations for the annual historic function, though a bit nervous.
The boss of London’s grand New Year’s fireworks event said he is a bit nervous but confident.
This iconic display is expected to attract tens of thousands of attendees, while millions will be watching on TV.
Mr Fleming, display director at Titanium Fireworks, is responsible for ensuring the spectacular pyrotechnic display over the River Thames goes as 2025 approaches.
Despite his nerves, he is assured that his team of experienced members are ready for any potential issues that may arise.
While speaking to BBC London, he said that they have full control over the display and can eliminate fireworks from particular spots if required.
He stated, “Often it’s things you can’t plan that will come along and cause problems. Like everything, it’s experience and just having that knowledge of what can go wrong and planning for it and getting ourselves in the best position.”
Mr Fleming added, “The big enemy is the wind, so we have to plan for that in the design stage. We don’t have massive big shells that have a high chance of being taken out of a show. By having that in the planning stage, in the design process, then it minimises the amount of containment we have to do.”
According to Mr Fleming, they are keeping an eye on the weather conditions, especially the wind, ahead of the event. They are prepared to adjust the show if needed, but “aim to deliver the full show.”
Due to heavy winds, the New Year firework displays in Edinburgh and Blackpool were called off yesterday, but Mr Fleming hopes London’s event will take place without problem.
To enhance safety, his team has planned to change the angle of the fireworks angle slightly into the wind to increase the safety margin.
He said even will all the planning and safety measures in place, he will remain nervous until the event is concluded well.
Mr Fleming said, “It won’t be until about eleven minutes past midnight on 1 January when I can relax and just have a bit of relief.”
Due to strong winds, the fireworks display in Ripon, North Yorkshire, was also postponed, as the council announced on Facebook that the scheduled event in Market Square could not proceed due to bad weather.
On Tuesday, four warnings were released for Scotland, including a warning for rain in the Nairn, Badenoch, and Strathspey areas.
London’s City Hall confirmed that it is tracking the weather conditions for today’s event.
The new year will begin with severe weather, as separate warnings for heavy wind and rain are in place on January 1.
The Met has predicted winds of up to 60 mph across England and Wales throughout Wednesday.