{"id":345795,"date":"2026-01-01T04:00:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T04:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/345795\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T04:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T04:00:13","slug":"happy-new-year-uk-ushers-in-2026-with-spectacular-fireworks-display-in-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/345795\/","title":{"rendered":"Happy New Year! UK ushers in 2026 with spectacular fireworks display in London"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Thousands of people braved the cold<\/a> to see in the new year<\/a> at London<\/a>\u2019s firework display as the UK ushered in 2026 with a bang.<\/p>\n

Despite the temperature<\/a> hovering around zero degrees, around 100,000 people gathered on the banks of the River Thames<\/a> for the sold-out celebration, which was set off near the London<\/a> Eye at midnight, while millions more tuned in across the country to watch via television.<\/p>\n

The spectacular display \u2013 set to a soundtrack which included the likes of Raye, Sabrina Carpenter, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay and featuring voice overs from stars such as Celia Imrie, Andrew Cotter and Alison Hammond \u2013 celebrated some of the highlights of 2025.<\/p>\n

Among the feats acknowledged in the display were England\u2019s Women\u2019s Rugby World Cup triumph, the Lionesses retaining the Euros and Europe\u2019s Ryder Cup win, while there was also a nod to the film Wicked: For Good.<\/p>\n

More than 12,000 fireworks and more than 400 lights illuminated the night sky around the London Eye, with hologauze animations complementing the largest annual firework display in Europe on the BBC\u2019s coverage.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

(Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Speaking to the Press Association, Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan said: \u201cWe spend a lot of time and effort curating our New Year\u2019s Eve celebrations \u2013 the theme of tonight\u2019s celebration is togetherness.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think diversity is a strength not a weakness \u2013 it makes us richer not poorer, stronger not weaker. I think you can be a proud Londoner but also someone whose country of origin is somewhere across the globe.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m delighted that we have once again shown why London\u2019s New Year\u2019s Eve celebrations are the greatest in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

As well as celebrating national achievements of the last 12 months, the display also referenced last summer being the UK\u2019s hottest on record and featured a nod to the social media \u2018tea-time alarm\u2019 meme that suggested there is a daily alarm reminding British people to enjoy a cup of tea.<\/p>\n

\"Fireworks<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Fireworks light up the sky over the London Eye (Jonathan Brady\/PA) (PA Wire)<\/p>\n

A number of other UK cities are holding new year\u2019s firework displays and events, with Edinburgh\u2019s Hogmanay returning with more than 40,000 attendees after being cancelled due to the weather last year.<\/p>\n

Thousands of people began gathering in central Edinburgh before 10pm to get ready to see in the new year at the city\u2019s famous celebrations on Princes Street, where the night\u2019s entertainment includes a pipe band, drummers, a DJ set by Belgian duo 2manydjs, and a silent disco.<\/p>\n

\"Crowds<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Crowds gather on the Westminster Bridge with the illuminated Houses of Parliament in the background ahead of midnight (REUTERS)<\/p>\n

Among those in attendance was a primary school teacher from New Zealand , who said she came to Edinburgh because \u201cIt\u2019s where to be for New Year\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ann Bracefield, 55, said: \u201cI have a teacher friend who tried to get in last year from New Zealand and he missed it because it was cancelled.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, it was like, \u2018right, I\u2019m going to try\u2019. So, to Scott from Bangkok, I actually made it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Fireworks<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Fireworks explode over Edinburgh Castle during the Hogmanay New Year celebrations in Edinburgh (Steve Welsh\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n

Asked to describe the atmosphere on Princes Street as the street party was getting underway, she said: \u201cGood, it\u2019s a bit quiet at the moment but I think it\u2019s going to get really busy.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is also an hourly \u201cteaser\u201d firework display above Edinburgh Castle in the build-up to the main event, with initial burst going off at 9pm.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile the Concert in the Gardens is getting under way in Princes Street Gardens West, which is being headlined by the band Wet Leg.<\/p>\n

The organisers said more than 40,000 tickets have been sold for the event, which is seeing a return following last year\u2019s cancellation due to the weather.<\/p>\n

Manchester\u2019s official display will take place in the city centre\u2019s St Peter\u2019s Square, while Newcastle upon Tyne\u2019s Quayside will host a \u201cHowaymanay\u201d to ring in the new year.<\/p>\n

The Geordie take on the Scottish tradition will be a festival of its own, and of course will boast a massive firework display.<\/p>\n

\"Fireworks<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Fireworks over Edinburgh Castle during the Hogmanay New Year celebrations in Edinburgh (Steve Welsh\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n

Around the globe, New Year\u2019s Eve firework displays and celebrations have already been held<\/a> as 2026 began in other time zones. <\/p>\n

The island of Kiritimati was the first place in the world to celebrate 2026. Part of the Pacific Ocean nation, Kiribati, located south of Hawaii and northeast of Australia. It is made up of several atolls \u2013 ring-shaped coral reefs \u2013 and spans almost 2,500 miles from east to west.<\/p>\n

Australia welcomed 2026 with a spectacular fireworks display over Sydney Opera House, as well as a minute\u2019s silence to remember the victims of the Bondi Beach attack.<\/p>\n

The 40,000 fireworks stretched more than four miles across buildings and barges along the harbour.<\/p>\n

An hour before midnight, the victims of the country\u2019s deadliest terrorist attack \u2013 during which 15 were killed and 40 injured \u2013 were commemorated with a moment of reflection while images of a menorah were projected onto Sydney Harbour Bridge. The crowd were invited to show their solidarity with Australia\u2019s Jewish community by shining their phone torches across the harbour.<\/p>\n

\"Fireworks<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Fireworks light up the midnight sky over Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House during New Year’s Day celebrations (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n

Japan and South Korea celebrated the New Year around 3pm GMT with a traditional bell-ringing ceremony. Tens of thousands gathered at Bosingak Pavilion in central Seoul for the countdown. <\/p>\n

At midnight local time, a bronze bell was struck 33 times, a tradition rooted in Buddhist cosmology, symbolising the 33 heavens.<\/p>\n

The sounds are believed to dispel misfortune and bring in peace and prosperity for the coming year, while lanterns are lit to celebrate the occasion. <\/p>\n

Fireworks also lit up the sky over the Lotte World Tower in Seoul, South Korea’s tallest building, before an eye-catching display was set off over the Marina Bay in Singapore. <\/p>\n

The fireworks in the UK will come before New York, which will join in the celebrations at 5am GMT on New Year\u2019s Day, with performances by Diana Ross and Ciara. People queued around 6th Avenue hours in advance. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":345796,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-345795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/345795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=345795"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/345795\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/345796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=345795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=345795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=345795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}