New Year’s Eve Thames Cruise on board the Sarpedon with fireworks
24th October 2024
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Full details below, but first some brief Thames history of New Years Eve celebrations, A midnight fireworks display has long been a staple of London, England’s New Year’s Eve celebrations. The main attraction of the celebrations is the South Bank, where fireworks are fired from the London Eye observation wheel and barges along the River Thames, and Big Ben’s chimes at midnight mark the start of the new year.
Ten Alps, acting on behalf of the Greater London Authority, created the first coordinated New Year’s Eve celebrations in 1999 to commemorate the start of the year 2000. Until New Year’s Eve 2004, when Jack Morton Worldwide started to plan the performance on behalf of the Greater London Authority, the New Year’s fireworks shows were not regularly held again due to disagreements with the city.
Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, London’s public New Year’s Eve celebrations were halted in 2021 and 2022. Instead, broadcast-only events were held in lieu of public gatherings because of restrictions or uncertainties. These New Year’s Eve presentations, which took place at several London sites instead of the South Bank, featured a drone show and pyrotechnics. In 2023, the Greater London Authority hired the events company Identity to handle production, and the event moved back to the South Bank.
For the first time, the Greater London Authority celebrated the year 2000 with a 20-minute New Year’s fireworks show. Three million people are thought to have witnessed it in person. It was created by Bob Geldof’s Ten Alps. The show was supposed to include an effect at midnight that would include 200-foot (61-meter)-tall flames in a “advancing river of fire going upstream at 650 mph” down the Thames (which represents the speed of the Earth’s rotation). However, the “river of fire” effect was criticised by critics and viewers who thought the outcome did not match what the organisers had proposed. Geldof thought the occasion went well and wished it would be a yearly occurrence. Following the incident, the London Underground was reportedly overcrowded, and the Metropolitan Police were forced to pay £3 million in overtime.
The Australian producer of Sydney New Year’s Eve and fireworks during the 2000 Summer Olympics, Syd Howard, would co-produce the second event that the GLA planned to stage on New Year’s Eve 2001. Ten Alps would also organise it. In contrast to 2000, a smaller fireworks show would have been held at midnight, with the major show starting earlier in the evening at 7 p.m. However, it was stated in November 2000 that the event had been cancelled because to safety concerns brought up by London police and the Underground. As has been customary for many years, about 80,000 people gathered in Trafalgar Square to celebrate the New Year.
For the 2003–04 festival, a fireworks display made a comeback, and Jack Morton Worldwide was brought on board as producer. London Assembly member Bob Neill made the following argument prior to the 2004–05 event: “If we are to be a serious contender for the Olympics we want to be able to show that London can put on a decent show.” He claimed that London’s New Year’s Eve celebrations were inferior to those of Paris or New York City, two of its rivals in bids for the 2012 Summer Olympics. A planned light show before the fireworks was cancelled in observance of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and in its stead was a moment of silence for the tragedy’s victims.[8][9][10]A midnight fireworks display has been a staple of London, England’s New Year’s Eve celebrations. The South Bank is the centre of the celebrations, when pyrotechnics are set off from barges along the River Thames and the London Eye observation wheel, and Big Ben’s chimes at midnight mark the start of the new year.
Ten Alps, acting on behalf of the Greater London Authority, created the first coordinated New Year’s Eve celebrations in 1999 to commemorate the start of the year 2000. The New Year’s fireworks shows were not regularly held again until New Year’s Eve 2004, when Jack Morton Worldwide took over the show’s organisation on behalf of the Greater London Authority due to disagreements with the city.
Spectacular New Year’s Eve Firework display
Our Feature Tour New Year’s Eve Thames Cruise on board the Sarpedon with fireworks | Best Value Tours
Description
London, one of the most famous cities in the world, is a great place to spend New Year’s Eve. Experience the joy and celebration from the centre of the River Thames for just one evening, making it a memorable beginning to 2025!
Sarpedon Cruise on New Year’s Eve
Take a memorable New Year’s Eve cruise on the magnificent Thames River by boarding the Sarpedon! As you dance to the live musical entertainment onboard, you’ll take in the breath-taking views of London’s famous landmarks. You’ll be in the best position to witness the breath-taking New Year’s fireworks show at The Last Minute.com when the clock strikes twelve. The London Eye is the ideal way to begin 2025!
Three courses of Doggett’s Coat and Badge
Savour a delectable three-course dinner at London’s distinctive bar and restaurant, Doggett’s Coat and Badge. Start your New Year’s Eve festivities with a glass of prosecco as soon as you arrive, and then enjoy your delicious meal. Before you go to the Sarpedon boat at the Crown Pier, Doggett’s is the ideal place to get into the festive mood because it is beautifully adorned.
Prices/Book Tour – New Year’s Eve Thames Cruise on board the Sarpedon with fireworks | Best Value Tours
Highlights
Wave 2024 off in style on-board the Sarpedon New Year’s Eve cruise on the Thames
Enjoy a delicious three-course meal at Doggett’s Coat and Badge restaurant before you board
Be welcomed with a glass of celebratory Prosecco at the restaurant
Step aboard the Sarpedon and enjoy live musical entertainment and a cash bar on-board
Soak in sensational views of London’s world-famous fireworks display from the boats’ Upper Deck
Inclusions
Entrance to the Sarpedon on New Year’s Eve from Crown Pier. Exclusive to Golden Tours
Three-course meal at Doggett’s Coat and Badge (if selected)
A welcome glass of Prosecco on arrival at Doggett’s
Live musical entertainment on board
Cash-only bar on-board the cruise (card payments not accepted)
Friendly staff on hand throughout the evening
Prices/Book Tour – New Year’s Eve Thames Cruise on board the Sarpedon with fireworks | Best Value Tours
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