London's New Year's Eve fireworks are launched around the London Eye, the city's giant observation wheel.
The London Eye stands on the South Bank of the River Thames near Westminster Bridge. It opened to the public in March 2000 as a temporary millennium attraction, but its popularity led to a permanent role as one of London's best-known landmarks.
London's large public New Year's Eve fireworks display has been staged around the wheel since the 2000 millennium celebrations, with the modern ticketed event developing in later years. Fireworks are fired from barges on the Thames and from locations near the wheel, creating a display visible across central London.
The wheel itself is not the city's tallest structure, and it is sometimes confused with the nearby Shard or Tower Bridge. Its importance to the celebration comes from its riverside position and visibility, not from being a clock or a traditional countdown tower.