As one of the world’s great cities, it’s only appropriate that London — grand capital of the United Kingdom — would put on a world-class show to mark the passing of the New Year. That’s the promise of London’s famed New Year’s firework show — a promise that draws visitors from across the globe — but this year’s event was a comprehensive disappointment, of dangerous management and tasteless theatrics.

The firework display was a 14-minute event of 430 lights, 600 drones, and  12,000 colourful projectiles, set on the Thames River, before the most iconic silhouettes on the city’s skyline, the London Eye, and Big Ben. Watching these fireworks used to be a free event, with folks arriving early, picking out the best spot to watch the show from, and chatting away the hours as they waited. However, with the rise of terrorist incidents and increased demand, the city has made this a ticketed event, where guests pay $50 minimum per person to attend the show from cordoned off viewing areas. This also provides revenue to fund the show. 100,000 tickets buys a lot of fireworks. 

The result however is not worth the money and wait; if you even get to see it. 

I spent my New Year’s Eve waiting for hours in an enormous line, only for my ticket never to be scanned, as the gate to the viewing area had been closed long before the line ever made it there; an experience shared by thousands of others who had paid to watch the fireworks from Waterloo Bridge, some of whom having travelled as far as Japan and California for this moment.  This was a complete management failure, and the scale of this only became more apparent as the clock neared twelve, and the surrounding area devolved into a rushing, uncontrolled crowd, as some tried to get into the viewing area, unaware it was closed, and others rushed to find the best viewing spot, or locate friends and children separated from them by the ever tightening crowd. 

This swarm was a direct result of woeful management from the Mayor’s team. There were no barriers to form the queues, no signs to guide the crowd, no announcements to say we would not be getting into the viewing area, nor police or event stewards in the area to guide, manage, or advise the crowd.  It was pandemonium, and almost a literal shambles. Only by mere luck did this not turn into a dangerous crowd-crush, of the kind that killed 159 people in Seoul on Halloween 2022. My article on this in Britain’s Spectator magazine has drawn attention to just how dangerous this situation was, with members of London’s City Hall now demanding answers from the Mayor for how this was allowed to happen.

Thankfully, no such tragedy occurred, and we can only hope that luck continues in years to come. However, even if I had been able to see the fireworks, my evening would have been a disappointment.

Rather than put on a great show, it was a crass lightshow of neon flashes and social signalling, favouring inclusivity brownie points over genuine spectacle. As Dame Helen Mirren and George the Poet narrated the event over loudspeaker, speaking about the value of diversity and reminding us that the coronation had been this year, and it was 10 years since the legalisation of gay marriage in Britain, it was only all the more striking that the London New Year’s fireworks could not be considered as a highlight of any year. The voiceover was far too try-hard to be impactful; in fact, it had the opposite effect, as though London’s greatness wasn’t self-evident, and needed celebrity voiceover. 

The worst part of the narration was its celebration of Britain’s deeply troubled National Health Service, whose officials would rather let patients die on waitlists than exact the radical reforms necessary to bring it to first-world functionality. However, the narrator treated the tax-payer funded service like a state-religion; “We have to keep showing how we love our NHS, so it will continue to be with us through it all.” 

In short, the event was expensive, insulting, boring, ugly, and dangerous. But though I was frustrated that my time and money was so pointlessly wasted — and no refunds have so far been issued — I am horrified when thinking of those who spent thousands to visit this great city, to see what should have been a great spectacle, only to face this instead.  

The fireworks opened with drones displaying the message “Mayor of London presents.” Some took issue with this, as though Mayor Sadiq Kahn was claiming sole responsibility for this show, and not the taxpayers who footed the bill. But I disagree with the frustration. He is welcome to take all the blame.