2010 was welcomed in style in London by the 200,000 strong crowds that turn out to see the display off the London Eye, and seen across the world on BBC 1 or online to celebrate the New Year and the new decade.

The display was open to all, with many people watching from the Embankment.

Best Place to View

Finding the best place to see the london new years fireworks display is important as people will start arriving at 8.00pm. It will start getting crowded from 9.30pm onwards, to get the best viewing spot means you need to be there early, but it is all to do with personal preference.

Westminster bridge and the North embankment, opposite the London Eye, are the best places to see the display.

The display lasts 8 minutes and will be visible from many parts of London and will also be on television, for those who wish to watch it from the comfort of their own living room, or cannot get there.

The Organisers

The show was originally commissioned by London Mayor Ken Livingstone and the GLA and produced by Jack Morton Worldwide.

Now Boris Johnson continues the New Years festivities with the display on the London Eye, still using the old team of Groupe F, Jack Morton and Phoenix Fireworks.

New Years Eve spectacle.

The fireworks were designed and executed by the French company Groupe F, but with significant input from Phoenix Fireworks, who work alongside the French pyrotechnicians, as well as providing storage, transport and other logistical services.

Christof Berthonneau, from Groupe F, is most notably known for his New Years eve displays, Olympic displays and other large scale display all across the world, including a display off the Eiffel Tower to welcome the new millennium.

Transport

The tube, DLR, buses and trams will be free from 2345 on New Years eve until 0430 on New Years day. The tube, DLR, trams and National Rail services will also be running all night. Night buses and 24 hour buses will run, but there will be a reduction in service between 1900 and 0300 as a result of road closures.

Please note some smaller stations will not be open for the whole evening. Check details before traveling.

The congestion charge will be suspended so you will not have to pay to drive into central London.

Facts about the Display

The display was be fired using six computers. The display is programmed into the computer, with each firework having its own individual cue on the computer programme set at a certain time. When the appointed time is reached, a current is fired to the required firework along a series of wires, which causes the electric igniter to ignite the firework. This is done by the current causing the pyrotechnic content to heat up and combust, which creates a small explosion and therefore lighting the firework. A GPS system is used to connect the three computers and counts down to 12 o'clock.

One of the 3 firing systems used on this display

There were 3 barges in front of the London Eye, two of which carried cranes with fireworks being fired off them.

A team of 30 pyrotechnicians work on site from the 27th December right up to New Years day, with considerable work completed beforehand in the workshop.

All the fireworks that are fired off the eye are mounted on New Years eve from 6pm, which is when the Eye is closed to the public, by a special team of expert climbers.

For information on the set up this year please click this link.

London Eye Riverside Building,
County Hall,
Westminster Bridge Road,
London SE1 7PB.
Telephone 0870 443 9862