London’s New Year’s Eve celebration is famous for fireworks at the London Eye.
The London Eye, a giant observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames, became the focal point of London’s major New Year’s Eve fireworks display. Fireworks are launched from and around the wheel, bridges, and nearby areas, creating a televised panorama of central London.
The organized display began in its modern form for the transition from 1999 to 2000, when London marked the new millennium with a major celebration. Later ticketed events developed around the Thames and the wheel, with viewing areas controlled for crowd safety.
The London Eye is sometimes called the Millennium Wheel because it opened around the millennium period. It is not the world’s tallest observation wheel; that record has changed over time. Its importance here is symbolic and geographic: the wheel provides a distinctive landmark beside the river at the center of the city’s countdown.