The London Eye hosts the central display area for the midnight fireworks in London's official New Year's Eve celebration.
The London Eye, a giant observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames, is used as a prominent launch structure and visual centerpiece for the display. Fireworks also use barges on the river and other positions along the waterfront, so the show is not launched only from the wheel. The illuminated wheel provides a distinctive circular landmark in television and crowd views.
London's modern ticketed riverside celebration developed into a major annual event in the twenty-first century. The display is organized around the transition from December 31 to January 1 and is synchronized with the midnight chimes associated with Big Ben. Big Ben is the clock bell and tower landmark that marks the time; it is not the primary fireworks launch structure.
The London Eye opened to the public in 2000. Its location beside the Thames places it close to Westminster and gives the fireworks a broad backdrop of central London landmarks.