London's New Year's Eve fireworks on Thursday 31 December 2026 are ticket-only: tickets cost £20 to £55 plus a £2.66 booking fee on Ticketmaster, you can enter between 20:00 and 22:30, and the display starts after Big Ben strikes midnight.
Six viewing areas line the Thames around the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament, and without a ticket you cannot enter them. The first batch of tickets went on sale on Friday 23 October 2026; the second has no release date yet.
Checked 10 November 2026. Not announced yet: the release date of the second batch of tickets, the Royal Parks' 2026 closing times, the BBC's broadcast schedule and the official length of the display.
London New Year's Eve fireworks 2026: viewing areas, prices and gates
| Viewing area | Side of the river | View of the London Eye | Price (visitors / Londoners) | Gate | Station to use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue (Victoria Embankment) | North | Head-on | £55 / £35 | 1 or 2 | Victoria, Charing Cross, Embankment |
| Pink (Waterloo Bridge) | South | Side | £55 / £35 | 6 | Southwark |
| White (Westminster Bridge) | South | Side | £55 / £35 | 8 | Waterloo |
| Red (Victoria Embankment) | North | Side | £40 / £20 | 4 or 5 | Holborn, Blackfriars |
| Green (behind the London Eye) | South | Behind | £40 / £20 | 7 | Waterloo |
| Orange (accessible, Albert Embankment) | South | Partial side | £40 / £20 | 9 | Waterloo |
The table follows the City Hall event page for the Mayor of London's New Year's Eve fireworks. Blue, Pink and White are Category A and Red, Green and Orange are Category B. The prices include VAT and have not changed from 2025.
Ticketmaster adds a £2.66 booking fee to each ticket. You cannot move between areas on the night, so friends need tickets for the same one.
When did tickets for the London New Year's Eve fireworks go on sale, and are any left?
The first batch of tickets for London's 2026 New Year's Eve fireworks went on sale at midday on Friday 23 October 2026, City Hall's 16 October 2026 announcement said, and a second, smaller batch follows on a date it has not set yet.
In 2025 City Hall announced its final batch on 18 November 2025 and put it on sale at midday on Monday 24 November 2025, according to City Hall's 2025 final-batch notice. If it follows the same timing, the second batch of 2026 tickets comes in late November 2026.
On Tuesday 10 November 2026 the Ticketmaster listing still listed first-batch tickets for some viewing areas, but not all of them; what is left changes by the minute, and City Hall says the tickets sell out quickly. You can buy up to four tickets, and only tickets bought from Ticketmaster are valid: City Hall's announcement says tickets sold elsewhere will be refused entry.
If your plans change, City Hall lets you resell a ticket at face value on Ticketmaster's Fan-to-Fan Resale platform or transfer it to another person through your Ticketmaster account. Refunds are not available. Londoners pay the lower price when the billing address has a London postcode.
What time are the London fireworks on New Year's Eve 2026?
The London fireworks begin with Big Ben's bongs at midnight on the night of Thursday 31 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027, and the display ends with a sing-along of Auld Lang Syne, according to City Hall's announcement.
Ticketmaster says you can enter each viewing area from 20:00 to 22:30, and City Hall lists the event from 20:00 to 00:30. There is no re-entry once you are in. The organisers do not publish the length of the display; the London Eye says it lasts about 10 to 15 minutes.
Can you watch the London New Year's Eve fireworks without a ticket?
Without a ticket you cannot enter the six viewing areas for the London New Year's Eve fireworks on 31 December 2026, and no official page lists free viewing spots; Visit London says only that the display can be seen from many vantage points across London and live on BBC One.
Visit London tells people without a ticket to avoid the ticketed areas, which get very busy, and suggests river cruises and restaurants and bars with a view. The table shows what City Hall (2026) and the Royal Parks (2025) say is closed or restricted around the display:
| Place | What the source says |
|---|---|
| Westminster, Lambeth, Waterloo and Blackfriars bridges and the Golden Jubilee Footbridge | City Hall 2026: cannot be used before or after the event |
| All Royal Parks | Royal Parks 2025: no official viewing area; people without a ticket urged not to travel into London |
| Primrose Hill | Royal Parks 2025: closed from 20:00 on Tuesday 30 December 2025 to 06:00 on Thursday 1 January 2026 |
| St James's Park | Royal Parks 2025: restricted from 14:00 on 31 December 2025, east side closed from 17:00 |
| Greenwich Park | Royal Parks 2025: gates close at around 18:00 |
| Richmond Park | Royal Parks 2025: vehicle gates close at around 16:00 |
| Hyde Park | Royal Parks 2025: closes at midnight |
The Royal Parks had not published its 2026 closing times on 10 November 2026; its 2025 notice came out on 10 December 2025.
How do you get to the London New Year's Eve fireworks and back?
TfL says most of its services run through the night on New Year's Eve 2026 and normal fares apply. Expect crowds in central London: some stations may close or allow exit only at short notice.
| Travel on 31 December 2026 | Details |
|---|---|
| Underground and rail | Most TfL services run through the night; some stations may close or become exit-only at short notice; TfL lists planned closures on several lines, the District line among them, between 24 December 2026 and 3 January 2027 but has not said which days |
| Fares | Normal fares apply |
| Buses | Some central London buses are on diversion because of road closures |
| Walking to the gate | The Blue, Red, Pink, Green and White areas can be up to 2 km from public transport |
| Congestion Charge | Not in operation from Friday 25 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027 |
City Hall says to use only your area's numbered gate and to choose the side of the river you want to be on afterwards, because five bridges cannot be used before or after the event and stations are very busy when it ends. TfL says it will publish more details of its Christmas and New Year travel closer to the date, so check its page before you leave.
What do you need to bring to the London fireworks?
For the London New Year's Eve fireworks, bring your Ticketmaster ticket on your phone and, if you are the main ticket buyer, photo ID that matches the name on the tickets: a passport or photo driving licence, or a good photocopy of either. Security searches are mandatory at the entry to the viewing areas.
Stewards may ask for proof of address if you bought a Londoner's ticket.
The London New Year's Eve fireworks are standing only: the ticketing terms ban chairs, pushchairs, prams and tables, apart from wheelchairs and compact folding chairs in the Orange area. They also ban backpacks and suitcases, drones, fireworks and sparklers, laser pens, glass bottles and containers, bicycles and animals other than assistance dogs.
Can children go to the London New Year's Eve fireworks?
City Hall advises against bringing young children to the London fireworks, because the night is late and the crowds are large. Everyone needs a ticket whatever their age, anyone under 16 must be with an adult and pushchairs and prams are not allowed in the viewing areas. Ticketmaster says ticket buyers must be over 18.
Where is the accessible viewing area for the London fireworks?
The Orange viewing area on the Albert Embankment, in front of St Thomas' Hospital, is the accessible area for the London New Year's Eve fireworks, with a partial side view of the fireworks, and you should choose it when booking if you have access needs.
City Hall lists seating, a hearing loop, accessible toilets within 300 metres and a Changing Places toilet unit. The vehicle drop-off point is about 700 metres away and is best used before 20:00, when road closures begin. Orange is 2 km from the nearest public transport. Ticketmaster lists an essential companion ticket for the area at £0.00, limited to two per order.
Quick answers
Which viewing area has the best view of the London New Year's Eve fireworks? Blue, on Victoria Embankment, is the only area with a head-on view of the London Eye, according to City Hall's list of the areas; the others see it from the side or from behind.
How much are tickets for the London New Year's Eve fireworks 2026? Tickets cost £55 or £40 for visitors and £35 or £20 for Londoners, depending on the viewing area, plus a £2.66 booking fee from Ticketmaster.
Where do I buy tickets for the London fireworks? Only from Ticketmaster, up to four per person. City Hall says tickets sold elsewhere will be refused entry.
Is there a second batch of London fireworks tickets? Yes, City Hall says a second, smaller batch will be released, and it asks people to keep checking its page for the date; in 2025 the final tickets went on sale on Monday 24 November 2025.
What time do the London fireworks gates open? Ticketmaster says you can enter each viewing area from 20:00 to 22:30 on Thursday 31 December 2026, and the display begins at midnight.
Is there a free viewing area for the London fireworks? No. Every viewing area needs a ticket, and the Royal Parks said in 2025 that none of its parks has an official viewing area; the table above lists what is closed or restricted.
Can I resell a London fireworks ticket? You can resell it at face value on Ticketmaster's Fan-to-Fan Resale platform. Refunds are not available.
Are the London fireworks on TV? BBC One shows the display live, according to Visit London; the programme times for 2026 were not published on 10 November 2026.
Cover image: illustrative image of fireworks over the Thames, generated for Evenitto with OpenAI's image model; it is not a photograph of a past display.
