Key information
Request reference number: MGLA030924-0271
Date of response:
Summary of request
You requested:
Following my request on January 1st 2024 and your reply 31st January 2024(1) as a follow up can you under the Freedom of Information Act now advise me of the final cost of the firework display. In your reply you said it had not been finalised.
Our response to your request is as follows:
Thank you for your follow up correspondence on London’s New Year’s Eve (NYE) Fireworks.
It is one of the biggest events in London’s events calendar, with more than 100,000 people congregating along the banks of the River Thames and millions watching at home as the eyes of the world turn to us. The display brings in huge numbers of domestic and international tourists into London every year. It’s a great opportunity to show our capital at its best on the global stage, profiling our tourist attractions and generating a significant economic boost across the year.
The planning for London’s NYE celebrations was detailed and complex, working in close partnership with the Met Police, Transport for London, British Transport Police, other emergency services and event stewarding teams to put on the event. Safety planning is at the heart of the operation and always considers issues such as crowd management.
The cost of the stewarding operation was £1,772,574.
The Mayor is committed to tackling the climate emergency and improving London’s air quality and is taking action by carefully managing the environmental impacts of GLA events.
As a major fireworks event, the London NYE display does produce a quantity of combustion by-products. However, it is at an open venue, and the smoke and combustion by-products disperse rapidly in the majority of meteorological conditions.
Large firework displays are a rare occurrence, their impact is extremely short lived, localised and minimal. Vehicles remain by far the largest contributor to air pollution, so our focus is on reducing pollution from these sources. It is also the area where the Mayor has the strongest statutory powers and a track record of delivering with schemes such as the ULEZ and cleaning up London’s bus and taxi fleets.
In delivering London’s NYE event, environment and sustainability are embedded in the procurement and contracting process, with an environmental plan to manage key environmental impacts which the event management company consider throughout the planning and delivery process. These practices have meant that this year’s emissions from the display were reduced by 26% since 2016.
The cost of the fireworks for London’s NYE show was £321,703.