When
11.45am - 3pm, Sunday 1st January 2012
Where
Two mile route around Westminster
Celebrate the beginning of 2012 in jubilant style at the New Years Day Parade London event, which features thousands of performers in the heart of London.
New Years Day London
New Years Day Parade
London landmarks such as Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, Trafalgar Square and Westminster Abbey are all included on the New Years Day Parade route, which begins outside the Ritz Hotel and finishes on Parliament Street. Crowds will line the streets to cheer the parade as it passes in what promises to be a lively, vibrant London event, but if all that standing around sounds too much like hard work, limited grandstand seating is also available at Whitehall and Piccadilly.
Twenty six years of New Year fun
This year marks the 26th anniversary of the New Years Day Parade London extravaganza, a tradition that has brought the weird and the wonderful to the streets of the capital for over a quarter of a century. The New Years Day Parade is also one of London’s biggest charity fundraising events, having raised over a million pounds since the first parade in 1987.
Thousands of performers live in London
Thousands of performers from all over the world are taking part in the New Years Day Parade, London residents and international performers alike, with everyone from dancers and musicians to clowns and puppeteers taking to the streets for a day. London will come alive with fun and festivities to mark the beginning of New Year 2012. The staggering number of participants makes this one of the world’s biggest New Year's events.
Gala concerts and public performances
This year a selection of gala concerts are taking place around the New Year’s Day Parade. Jazz bands, classical music and choirs are all performing in concerts that are raising funds for London charities and are sure to get you in the mood for the parade on New Years Day. For more information on the gala concerts, click on the link below.
London Parade Concerts
Performer highlights
More than 10,000 performers are planning on strutting their stuff at the parade, from American high school marching bands to London hospitals and environmental groups. Highlights include cycling clubs, Morris dancers, the London Fire Brigade, an army of clowns, minis and morris minors, and a whole load of donkeys. The first official event of 2012 looks forward to a year of celebrations for the London Olympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, so expect even more in the way of pride and public spirit.
2012 route
The parade starts on Piccadilly at the junction of Berkeley Street outside the Ritz Hotel, and proceeds along a two mile route past Piccadilly Circus, Lower Regent Street, Waterloo Place, Pall Mall, Cockspur Street, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall and Parliament Street. Highlights from the three hour long event will be broadcast live around the world.
The New Years Day Parade London events begin at 11.45am on Sunday 1st January 2012 outside the Ritz Hotel, and ends around 3pm at Parliament Street. The event is free to attend, but there is a cost for grandstand seating. For further information and tickets follow the link below.
London New Years Day Parade Official Site