In London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks, the London Eye is traditionally shown beside the display.
London’s major New Year celebration centers on the River Thames, where fireworks are launched around the London Eye. The wheel provides a distinctive circular silhouette and a prominent visual anchor for broadcasts and photographs. The display is coordinated with the midnight change of year in the United Kingdom.
The celebration developed into a large organized event in the early twenty-first century. London’s first major official New Year’s Eve fireworks display took place for the transition from 2003 to 2004. Later shows expanded in scale and became a regular televised event, with viewing areas along the river and in central London.
Big Ben is often associated with the countdown because the clock tower is nearby, but it is not the landmark traditionally framed at the center of the fireworks themselves. Tower Bridge also appears in many views of the Thames, making it a common mix-up. The London Eye, however, is the signature structure linked to the display.