TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN…

By Olivia Garrett

Published: Monday, 04 December 2023 at 08:47 AM


Ah 2023, we wish you a very fond farewell. We will forever remember you as the year of Barbenheimer, the Gwyneth Paltrow ski trial and when Angela Bassett did the thing.

Over the last 12 months, we’ve seen old meet new a thousand times over, what with Taylor Swift’s Eras tour and 2000’s icons like Cindy Beale, Big Brother and Russel T Davies returning to centre stage. We’ve also said goodbye to some cherished people and places – RIP Wilko – and had to wrap our heads around the fact that Twitter was rebranded as X.

So, how best to celebrate all that madness and misery? Why, with a great big RadioTimes.com experience of course!

If you’re planning to be in the capital this New Year’s, the Going Out Team have got all the best ways to see off the year. We’ve compiled a list of all the top places to watch the famous London fireworks – from land, water, and sky no less – as well as a tonne of extra parties and experiences that will make your 2023 go off with a bang.

So, it’s time to ring in 2024 the right way, with one of these explosive New Year’s Eve experiences, and from us at RadioTimes.com to you, Happy New Year!

It’s not New Year’s just yet! Before then you should check out the best Christmas London shows, the best Christmas gift experiences and best Christmas light trails.

Jump to:

Best places to watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks at a glance

Best places to watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks in London for 2023

New Year’s Eve at the London Eye

London fireworks
oversnap/ Getty

It’s time to tick this one off the bucket list. This New Year’s Eve, you can join the hundreds of thousands of Londoners who gather on the Southbank to watch the legendary fireworks. This tradition has been around since 2000 and includes over 12,000 fireworks and 400 drones, which work together to recap the best events of the year.

To join the crowds opposite Big Ben, you’ll need to pay £20 from the London Eye website. This year’s tickets aren’t yet on sale but keep an eye on this page for when they do.

Buy tickets to New Year’s Eve at the London Eye from £20 at London Eye

IFS Cloud Cable Car New Year’s Eve Fireworks and Dinner

cable car london
Anthony John West/ Getty

If you want to watch the fireworks, why not do it in style? Head on over to the O2 and catch the dazzling celebrations from the unique view of an IFS cable car.

You’ll ring in the New Year while soaring through the air, before heading back down to dance the night away with a DJ. Oh, and there’s a three-course dinner to enjoy too.

Buy IFS Cloud Cable Car New Year’s Eve Fireworks and Dinner tickets from £209 at Golden Tours

New Year’s Eve Thames Cruise with Fireworks

london fireworks
Andrew Holt/ Getty

From sky highs to watery depths, you can also take in the breathtaking fireworks from a Thames riverboat. At Golden Tours, there’s a huge range of cruises and trips available to you, whether you want a quiet tour up the river with a glass of champagne, or you want to dance the night away on the Galaxy Cruise, you’ll be feeling pretty buoyant by the time midnight rolls around.

Buy New Year’s Eve Thames Cruise tickets from £225 at Golden Tours

New Year’s Eve Thames Cruise with fireworks and three-course dinner

Boat tour
Virgin Experience Days

Taking the river cruise a step further, you can book in a trip that includes a three-course dinner and drinks at Virgin Experience Days and Golden Tours. You’ll sail past London’s best landmarks before making your way to a prime viewing spot before the fireworks begin.

Buy New Year’s Eve Thames Cruise with Three Course Dinner, Wine and Fireworks for £538 at Virgin Experience Days

Buy New Year’s Eve Thames Cruise with fireworks and three-course dinner tickets from £285 at Golden Tours

New Year’s Eve Party at Skylight Peckham

SKylight peckham
Anatoleya/ Getty

At the Skylight Peckham, you can get one of the finest views of the London skyline. What’s more, you can combine this glorious view with a three-course meal, endless cocktails, and a DJ who never lets the party stop.

Buy New Year’s Eve Party at Skylight Peckham for £50 at Fever

View from The Shard and Marco Pierre White Three Course Meal

The shard
Virgin Experience Days

Talking of great views, what’s better than the view from the Shard? If you’re quick, you’ll be able to ring in the New Year with this experience that includes a Michelin star meal at Marco Pierre White’s London Steakhouse Co followed by a trip up the Shard.

Buy View from The Shard and Marco Pierre White Three Course Meal for £111 at Virgin Experience Days

Deluxe One Night Stay in London

afternoon tea thames cruise best london experience gift for foodies
Caroline Purser via Getty Images.
Caroline Purser via Getty Images

If parties and boats aren’t your thing, you can always celebrate the start of 2024 from the comfort of your hotel room. At Buyagift, you can book a deluxe one-night stay in a West End hotel, and get the thrill of being in the capital.

Buy Deluxe One Night Stay in London for £174.50 at Buyagift

Best New Year’s Eve events in London at a glance

Best New Year’s Eve events in London 2023

If you’re not fussed about the fireworks there’s still loads going on in London this December. Here’s a few more events and experiences to try.

New Year’s Eve bar crawl

Camden
GIUSEPPE GRECO / Getty

Swap one venue for four with these hot London bar crawls. Taking place in Shoreditch, Camden and the West End, you can follow your hosts on a trip round the city’s trendiest bars and indulge in three free shots and a glass of champagne to toast the New Year.

You’ll also be able to have professional photos taken throughout the night and have a guaranteed group of friends to spend midnight with.

Buy New Year’s Eve West End bar crawl tickets from £60 at Fever

Buy New Year’s Eve Camden bar crawl tickets from £52.50 at Fever

Buy New Year’s Eve Shoreditch bar crawl tickets from £60 at Fever

London’s Biggest ABBA Disco New Year’s Eve Party

Getty/Gus Stewart
Getty/Gus Stewart
Getty Images

You can dance, you can jive this New Year’s by getting tickets to the ABBA Disco party in Shoreditch. By spending just £25 of your money, money, money, you can transport yourself back to the ’70s for an evening of glitz and glamour and iconic ABBA tunes.

Buy tickets to London’s Biggest ABBA Disco New Year’s Eve Party from £25 at Fever

The Candlelight Club’s New Year’s Eve Party

20's party
CoffeeAndMilk / Getty

Grab your flapper dresses and dancing shoes because this year you’re heading back to the Roaring ’20s. At a secret South London location, you can ring a ding ding the New Year with the soulful sounds of jazz performed by Champagne Charlie and Duncan Hemstock and his All-Stars.

Inspired by the parties of Great Gatsby, this event will transport you right back to the golden days of swing and Charleston (except without the prohibition bit!).

Buy tickets to The Candlelight Club’s New Year’s Eve Party from £60 at Fever

The Silent Sounds New Year’s Eve party

MANCHESTER, TN - JUNE 07: A general view of the atmosphere in the Silent Disco tent at the Bonnaroo Music & Art Festival on June 7, 2018 in Manchester, Tennessee. (Photo by Josh Brasted/WireImage)
Josh Brasted / Getty

Shhhh! It’s a silent disco! At the stunning Banking Hall in the City of London, you can enjoy an unforgettable New Year’s Eve at the Silent Sounds Party. Upon entry, you’ll be given a pair of headphones which you’ll then be able to switch between the latest pop hits, garage classics, and party anthems, which will take you all the way to midnight.

Buy tickets to The Silent Sounds New Year’s Eve party from £50 at Fever

New Year’s Eve Extravaganza: Ayllu’s Unforgettable Celebration!

dinner
Fever

For the more low-key among you, this New Year’s Eve experience will take you through a seven-course tasting menu, blending the exquisite flavours of Japan and Peru. You’ll start the night with a glass of champagne, before delighting your taste buds with this long culinary journey.

As you look around you’ll also be treated with performances from dancers, aerial performers, fire dancers, saxophonists, violinists, and more.

Buy tickets to New Year’s Eve Extravaganza: Ayllu’s Unforgettable Celebration! From £100 at Fever

New Year’s Eve Vivaldi on the Strand

Conductor waving baton over orchestra
Hybrid Images/ Getty

If you’re a classical music lover, this evening out is for you. At St Mary Le Strand Church you’ll hear a stunning programme of Vivaldi and Bach pieces performed by renowned concert pianist Warren Mailley-Smith and the Piccadilly Sinfonietta. These concerts won’t actually take place at midnight, but what a way to spend the start of your evening.

Buy New Year’s Eve Vivaldi on the Strand tickets from £25 at Fever

Cafe Mambo Ibiza Classics New Years Eve

cheering crowd in front of stage lights at a rock concert
dwphotos/ Getty

Last but not least – why not finish the New Year with the world’s best beats at this Ibiza Classics party? You and hundreds of others will be able to countdown to 2024 in true clubbing fashion.

Buy Cafe Mambo Ibiza Classics New Years Eve tickets from £25 at Fever

For gift ideas, check out the best golf gift experiences, best steam train experiences and best UK stadium tours.