by Sarah Donaghy

Created on: February 22, 2009

New Years Eve in London is serious business. This otherwise fast-paced and sometimes unfriendly city collectively lets its hair down and parties hard until the wee hours. If you're a new comer to London, New Years Eve is a city-wide event that you won't want to miss. There's something for everyone and for every budget- your options range from partying in the street and watching the fireworks by the river to purchasing a ticket to an all night party in a club, to singing Auld Lang Syne clasping hands in a ring in your local pub.

The Basics

While it's not practical to provide an exhaustive list of New Years Eve events in London here, there are a few basics to keep in mind when planning your evening. Importantly, New Years Eve is the one night of the year that the Underground runs all night long. Along with the trains, the fleet of night buses will also be running. This should make planning your route around the city a bit simpler. Cab fares tend to be sky high on New Years Eve, so public transport is your best bet for a smooth journey around the city.

The big fireworks display kicks off at the London Eye, on the river Thames, at the stroke of midnight. Big Ben will be ringing in the New Year, and going to this event is the classic way to see in the New Year in London. If you want to stake out a place on the north bank of the river, plan to arrive several hours early. Position yourself closer to the Embankment area of the north bank, as there is often a huge crush of people trying to leave at the end, so being on the periphery will still give you a good view and make it easier to leave.

The truly savvy will head to the south bank of the river instead. While the view is not as good, there is more space to move around and a number of bars and restaurants readily available. There are also plenty of benches and tables for sitting, which is a bonus if you arrive early.

Planning Your New Years Eve

Keeping the basics in mind, you'll need to plan your evening. First, decide whether or not you want to go to the river to watch the fireworks. If you do, be sure to leave plenty of time for the journey there, pick which side of the river you will go to, and make sure to leave home with plenty of cash for transport fares. Tube travel is free on New Years Eve, but not until 11:45pm. It is also cost effective to have your first drink at home.

From there, you'll need to decide if and when you will be going to any pubs, bars, and clubs. It is legal to drink in the streets, so you can

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>