Big Ben's chimes mark midnight during London's New Year's Eve celebration.
Big Ben is the nickname commonly used for the Great Bell in the Palace of Westminster's Elizabeth Tower. Strictly speaking, the name refers to the bell, not the entire clock tower, although everyday usage often applies it to the tower and clock as well.
At midnight, the chimes are broadcast to audiences watching celebrations in London and around the world. The nearby London Eye is also central to the city's modern fireworks display, but it does not provide the famous midnight chimes.
The Great Bell first sounded in 1859. Its clock mechanism and distinctive quarter-hour melodies have made the tower an enduring timekeeping symbol, while the annual New Year's broadcast gives the sound a particularly prominent international audience.