The cost of attending London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks has been increased – but only for visitors to the capital.
They will pay £55 for the best views, and £40 for other areas – while Londoners will continue to pay £20 or £35.
The 12-minute display, also featuring lights and music, has become an annual tradition of welcoming the New Year in spectacular fashion, with the TV images beamed across the world and showcasing London.
The new prices – which add an extra £5 to the cost of tickets for people not living in London – were announced on Friday by mayor Sir Sadiq Khan.
It means tourists will pay 10 per cent more than last year for the best views and 14 per cent more for other areas.
The tickets will go on sale at midday next Friday, October 17. About 100,000 tickets will be made available in two phases. Normally the event, held on the Victoria Embankment and overlooking Big Ben and the London Eye, sells out.
This is the second year that City Hall has added a “tourist premium” to the cost of attending the fireworks display for non-Londoners, and with higher prices being charged for the best viewing spots.
The event has been ticketed since 2014, primarily to control vast crowds and also to generate revenue to cover the £4m cost of staging the event. City Hall says it does not make a profit from the ticket sales.
Last year there were concerns at the number of people who tried to access the display without tickets - and the difficulty of getting home from central London on public transport.
The display starts with Big Ben’s chimes heralding the arrival of the new year. Normally there is a theme to the event – on one occasion it symbolised Sir Sadiq’s opposition, shared by a majority of Londoners at the time, to the outcome of the Brexit referendum.
The premium viewing areas, costing £35 for Londoner or £55 to non-Londoners, are on the Victoria Embankment, from Westminster bridge to Golden Jubilee footbridge, Waterloo bridge and Westminster bridge.
The cheaper areas (£20 for Londoners and £40 for non-Londoners) are Red on the Victoria Embankment from Golden Jubilee footbridge to Temple Avenue, the area behind the London Eye and on the Albert Embankment, in front of St Thomas’s hospital.
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.
City Hall estimates the event generates about £14m for the London economy. The remainder of the tickets will go on sale later this year.
People without tickets will not be allowed to enter the viewing areas. Only tickets bought from the authorised outlet Ticketmaster will be accepted. No official tickets will be sold by any other websites and those bought through any other means will not be valid.
Ticket-buyers will also have to pay booking fees to Ticketmaster. They will have the opportunity to donate to TAP London, a charity that helps homeless Londoners.
Sir Sadiq said: “There is no better way to welcome in the new year than by uniting with Londoners and visitors on the banks of the River Thames for our spectacular celebrations.
“Every year the eyes of the world watch as our capital’s unique fireworks, lighting and music display shows off the very best of London.
“It’s a fantastic advert for our city and a huge boost for our hospitality and tourism industries. The only way to experience this unique show in person is by buying a ticket, so I urge anyone wanting to attend to do this as soon as possible.”
Rose Wangen-Jones, managing director at Visit London, said: “The festivities continue through to the next day with the London New Year’s Day parade - making it an excellent time to visit London as the city comes together in celebration.”
Robin Goodchild, Senior General Manager of the London Eye, said: “We’re proud that the London Eye once again takes centre stage as the icon of the city’s skyline.
“As we conclude the Eye’s 25th anniversary, a spectacular display of colour, light, and storytelling will illuminate the Thames—welcoming 2026 from the heart of this incredible city.”
To sign up for ticket updates and more information go to www.london.gov.uk/nye
