London first staged its modern New Year's Eve fireworks display at the London Eye in 2000.
The display welcomed the year 2000 and was part of the millennium celebrations in London. Fireworks were launched around the London Eye, the giant observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames, creating a prominent televised landmark image. The event helped establish a recurring public celebration centered on the river and the wheel.
London's New Year's Eve program later expanded into a large organized event involving fireworks, music, and ticketed viewing areas along the Thames. The show is sometimes confused with earlier London celebrations or with fireworks associated with royal and national occasions. The key date is 2000: that was the first modern London Eye fireworks display, not the year the London Eye itself opened to the public, which was 2000 as well.