London’s world famous New Year’s Eve celebrations are to return to the banks of the River Thames this year for the first time since before the pandemic.

More than 100,000 people will gather near the London Eye to welcome in the new year and witness the capital’s spectacular fireworks display, with tickets on sale from Friday 21 October.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said this year’s event will be the “best ever” following the cancellation of the previous two New Year’s Eve celebrations due to Covid restrictions.

A smaller event was scheduled to take place in Trafalgar Square to mark New Year’s Eve last year, but it was called off late in December due to soaring cases of the Omicron variant of Covid.

The mayor said: “I’m delighted that our fireworks are back and Londoners and visitors to our capital will again be able to join together on the banks of the Thames to welcome in the new year. The celebrations are one of the biggest nights of the year for our capital’s hospitality industry and an unforgettable moment when the eyes of the world turn to our city. This year will be the best ever!”

Those wishing to attend the event in person are being urged to book “as early as possible”, with demand expected to be extremely high.

Tickets have been limited to around 100,000 since 2014 to manage overcrowding and ease the strain on public transport and emergency services.

Between 2003 and 2013, nearly half a million people descended on the capital each year to witness the fireworks display and hear Big Ben chime in the new year.

Tickets for this year’s event go on sale at noon on Friday 21 October and will cost £15 each. There will be a limit of four tickets per transaction.

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