Transport
New Year's Eve 2026 in London: fireworks tickets, getting home, and New Year's Day
On this page
The short answer
The Mayor's fireworks are on Thursday 31 December 2026, 8pm to 12:30am, by ticket only. Tickets go on sale at 12 noon on Friday 23 October 2026, on Ticketmaster only, up to 4 per booking: £20 or £35 for Londoners, £40 or £55 for everyone else, plus a booking fee. City Hall says prices are the same as last year. Without a ticket you cannot get into the viewing areas.
New Year’s Eve 2026 is a Thursday, and New Year’s Day 2027 a Friday bank holiday. There are three problems, in order: getting a fireworks ticket, then on the night getting home, and on the day finding anything open.
The fireworks: tickets and viewing areas
When: Thursday 31 December 2026, 8pm, to Friday 1 January 2027, 12:30am, by City Hall’s own event page. The show is along the River Thames around the London Eye. For 2025 City Hall described a 12-minute show beginning with Big Ben’s chimes, watched in person by around 100,000 people.
Tickets for 2026, from City Hall’s event page (read 22 October 2026):
- The first batch goes on sale at 12 noon on Friday 23 October. A second batch has no date yet; City Hall says to keep checking its page.
- Ticketmaster is the only authorised seller. You can buy up to 4 tickets. Tickets bought anywhere else are not valid. If you cannot go, City Hall allows resale at face value through Ticketmaster’s Fan-to-Fan platform; refunds are not available.
- You must have a ticket to watch from the viewing areas. The event has been ticketed since 2014.
- The main ticket buyer may be asked for photo ID matching the name on the tickets, and Londoners’ discounted tickets may need proof of address at the gate.
- City Hall says the event is not suitable for young children; anyone under 16 must be with an adult, and everyone needs a ticket whatever their age.
2026 prices and viewing areas (all include VAT; booking fee extra)
| Area | Side of river | Nearest stations City Hall suggests | Gate | Londoners | Everyone else |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | North | Victoria, Charing Cross or Embankment | 1 or 2 | £35 | £55 |
| Pink | South | Southwark | 6 | £35 | £55 |
| White | South | Waterloo | 8 | £35 | £55 |
| Red | North | Holborn or Blackfriars | 4 or 5 | £20 | £40 |
| Green | South (behind the London Eye) | Waterloo | 7 | £20 | £40 |
| Orange | South (accessible area, partial side view) | Waterloo | 9 | £20 | £40 |
You cannot move between areas on the night, so friends must book the same one. The orange area is the accessible one, on the Albert Embankment in front of St Thomas’ Hospital, with seating, a hearing loop and a Changing Places toilet. Westminster Bridge, the Golden Jubilee Footbridge, Lambeth Bridge, Blackfriars Bridge and Waterloo Bridge cannot be used before or after the event, and City Hall warns that some areas can be up to 2km from public transport.
For other big fireworks this autumn, see Bonfire Night fireworks in London. Letting off your own at home? On New Year’s Eve the legal cut-off is 1am, not 11pm: see fireworks late at night.
Plan the journey home before you go out. In 2025 TfL said services would run all night on New Year's Eve, but that central London would be busy and some stations may be closed at short notice. The station you arrived at may not be the one you can leave from.
At a glance
| Thu 31 Dec 2026 | Fri 1 Jan 2027 (bank holiday) | |
|---|---|---|
| TfL | All night in 2025 Check live | Sunday service in 2025 Check live |
| Central stations | May close at short notice Not reliable | — |
| National Rail | Some routes finish early Check live | Some London routes run into the small hours Check live |
| Congestion Charge | Off Always | Off Always |
| Pharmacies | Some close early Check live | NHS rota Check live |
| Large shops | May open Usually | May open Usually |
New Year's Eve: getting home
TfL. TfL publishes its 2026 plan in early December. In 2025 it said services will run all night on New Year’s Eve, but some services in central London will be busy and some stations may be closed at short notice. We will replace this with the 2026 wording when it is published.
National Rail. For 2026/27, National Rail says train services on some routes will finish earlier than normal on New Year’s Eve, and that on New Year’s Day a number of London area routes will have special train services into the wee small hours. If you are going home by train, check your specific train — not just the line.
Fares. TfL’s 2025 release did not say travel would be free, and we have not found a current TfL statement that it will be. Assume normal fares unless TfL announces otherwise.
What works best on the night:
- Decide your way home in advance, including a second option in case your station is closed.
- Consider walking a few stops out from the centre before you look for a Tube or bus, since TfL warns that busy central stations may close.
- Night buses run every night. See London after the last train and which Tube lines run at night.
- Only get into a minicab you booked. A licensed black cab is the one with the yellow light lit. More in getting home safely at night.
New Year’s Day: what is open
Transport. In 2025 TfL ran a Sunday service on the Tube, buses and trams on New Year’s Day.
Shops. English trading law restricts large shops on Sundays, Easter Sunday and Christmas Day only. New Year’s Day is not on that list, so shops may open — when, is their choice. Ring first — holiday hours shown online may be a normal day’s.
Pharmacies. New Year’s Day is a bank holiday, and pharmacies are not required to open. NHS England London publishes a list of pharmacies commissioned to open on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, by borough, with hours; we will link the 2026/27 edition here. On New Year’s Eve itself, some pharmacies that normally open may close early. 111 knows the rota.
Food. Hot food after 11pm still needs a licence, including on New Year’s Eve. How that shapes the night is in where to eat in London after midnight.
Road charges
The Congestion Charge is off from Christmas Day to the New Year’s Day bank holiday inclusive — so off on both the 31st and the 1st. ULEZ is on.
What is different on New Year's Eve
- Stations may close at short notice to manage crowds, TfL warns.
- Leaving the moment midnight passes means leaving with the crowd. If you can, wait a while.
- Some trains finish early on New Year's Eve even while TfL runs late.
- Your phone battery matters more than usual. Maps, tickets and your ride home all depend on it.
If something goes wrong
- 999 for an emergency; A&E is open.
- NHS 111 for urgent advice and the pharmacy rota.
- If you are stuck until morning, the practical playbook is stuck in London between 3am and 6am.
- Every number that answers overnight is on our emergency page.
The one-line version
Thursday 31 December: plan your route home and a backup before you go out — TfL has run all night, but central stations close at short notice. Friday 1 January: a bank holiday with a Sunday-style service; check pharmacies against the NHS rota.
Sources
- City Hall — London New Year’s Eve 2026 (event times, 23 October sale, 2026 prices, areas, gates), read 22 October 2026
- City Hall — tickets on sale next Friday, 10 October 2025 (2025 show length and crowd figure)
- TfL — Christmas and New Year services, 2 December 2025
- National Rail — Christmas and New Year 2026/27
- TfL — Congestion Charge and TfL — ULEZ
- Sunday Trading Act 1994, Schedule 1 and Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004
- NHS England — London, publisher of the Christmas and New Year pharmacy rota
- GOV.UK — bank holidays
Checked: 22 September 2026. The fireworks section was re-read against City Hall’s page on 22 October 2026 and the National Rail wording on 7 October 2026. TfL and National Rail publish the 2026/27 details in November and December; this page will be re-checked against them before New Year’s Eve.