London’s big bang
London’s New Years Eve (NYE) fireworks event is the largest annual fireworks display in Europe. It is enjoyed by up to 100,000 ticketed spectators at the event, and millions more nationally and internationally through its broadcast.
The international profile that London receives from the NYE event is significant, with media reach of over 12 million viewers on BBC One, millions more online and through the BBC’s international partners, and more than 20 million people through international print media.
London's NYE celebration drives domestic and international visits to London over Christmas and the New Year, with around 70 per cent of ticketholders attending the event from outside London.
- This event is not alone in being targeted by online scammers and fake tickets. The events market is being flooded with counterfeit tickets, with most recently, major events such as the Paris Olympics and Taylor Swift concerts amongst the most targeted events, according to UK Finance's Annual Fraud Report.
- Following the completion of the refund process following the 2023 event, approximately 3000 ticketholders (only 3%) were unable to access the event. This would suggest the majority of people outside of the ticketed areas were the general public with no, or fake, tickets.
The final cost for the 2023 event was £4.1m. The majority of the event budget is spent on production, including safety infrastructure, stewarding and security, traffic management, staffing etc. The show and creative content of the event equates to 13% of the overall budget.
The GLA Oversight Committee will meet tomorrow, to scrutinise the organisation of London’s NYE fireworks event for the first time.
The guests are:
- Nicole Valentinuzzi – Assistant Director, External Relations, GLA
- David Holley – Head of Events for London, GLA
- Phil Grucci – President/CEO of Fireworks by Grucci, Inc.
The meeting will take place on Wednesday 23 October from 2pm, in the Chamber at City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, E16 1ZE.
Media and members of the public are invited to attend.
The meeting can also be viewed LIVE or later via webcast or YouTube.
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Notes to editors
- Read the agenda in full.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
- Emma Best AM, Chairman the GLA Oversight Committee, is available for interview.
- Find out more about the work of the GLA Oversight Committee.
For media enquiries, please contact Alison Bell on 07887 832 918 or at [email protected]. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer.