Pubs and restaurants across the country will celebrate the New Year two hours early because of coronavirus restrictions.
Toasting the New Year will happen at 10pm instead of midnight in venues in Tier One and Two where places have to stop serving at 10pm, and close by 11pm.
In Tier Three pubs and restaurants will be closed completely.
Thomas Kochs, managing director at the Corinthia London in Whitehall, told the Evening Standard : “We are hosting celebrations both at Kerridge’s Bar & Grill with dinner and live music, and at The Northall with a black tie gala dinner.
“We will apply the principle of ‘resort time’ and will turn back our clocks by two hours, celebrating a New Year moment at 10pm with a champagne toast and chorus of Auld Lang Syne. Each guest will be given a party bag to take away with a sparkler, party popper and popping candy for the real midnight.”
Simon Thomas, chief executive of the Hippodrome casino said its bars and restaurants will mark every midnight through to the UK’s own but two hours early at 10pm.
And Sam Harrison, owner of Sam’s Riverside in Hammersmith, told the paper he planned on sending diners home with a 'midnight party bag' so customers could celebrate when they get home.
