Big Ben's clock announces midnight during London's New Year's Eve celebrations.
Big Ben is the nickname commonly used for the Great Bell in the Elizabeth Tower at the Palace of Westminster. Strictly speaking, the clock tower is not itself Big Ben, and the name does not refer to the London Eye, the landmark beside the Thames that forms the visual center of the fireworks display.
London's modern public celebration developed around a midnight fireworks show launched near the London Eye. The clock chimes of Big Ben provide the audible transition into the new year, and the broadcast combines those chimes with images of fireworks over the river and nearby landmarks.
The bell first struck in 1859, while the tower was originally known as the Clock Tower and was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012. A major conservation project limited the bell's regular public chiming for several years, although special occasions and the New Year countdown remained prominent parts of its public identity.