On the night

Over 200,000 Londoner and visitors packed the public viewing areas with keen Londoners arriving from 2pm to secure the best spots to watch the fireworks. By 9pm the viewing areas were packed as thousands more Londoners joined the crowds on the streets in anticipation of what turned out to be the most spectacular fireworks that London has ever seen.

The fireowrks mark the start of a unique year for London and the Mayor of London will be hosting a huge programme of free events, celebrations and events across London not just during Games time, but in the build up too. Find out more at www.molpresents.com.

NYE Photo Gallery on Flickr

The Mayor's New Year Message to Londoners

"Its been a bit of a tough year for Londoners in some ways - the economy remains more or less in the doldrums, yet we’ve had some fantastic highlights too. The Royal Wedding, the end of the bendy bus and now we’re going forward into 2012 with an astonishing pyrotechnic display around the London Eye to commemorate the fact that next year is the most extraordinary we are likely to see in our lifetimes in this city.

We are going to be putting on a quite incredible Olympic and Paralympic Games that will not only bring the whole world to London but offer the chance to rejuvenate huge parts of our city in the long term. It really is going to be a fantastic place to be. I hope that everybody in London will enjoy a summer like no other. So get ready for a fantastic 2012 and have a wonderful New Year’s Eve."

Boris Johnson
Mayor of London