London New Year’s Eve 2022
An upbeat and inspiring display, celebrating London's diverse cultural heritage, and spreading a message of positivity.
At the sound of Big Ben’s chimes, we kicked off our 18th and final new year’s celebration for the City of London. Working in partnership with the Mayor of London’s office and the BBC, we pulled off another dynamic broadcast-only show with extensive lights and fireworks, as well as an interactive display of 500 drones – making it the largest drone show ever seen in the UK. And for the first time ever, the experience featured live performances — honoring London’s world-class creative talent that was hit hard by the pandemic.
The thirteen-minute show began with a moving, spoken-word piece written by poet Tomfoolery and performed by Londoner, actor and Hamilton star, Giles Terera. Viewers were then treated to an upbeat and inspiring display, celebrating London’s diverse cultural heritage, and spreading a message of positivity by highlighting key events we hope will bring people back together again in 2022.
As a result of rising Covid cases, the show moved to a complete broadcast format, with iconic locations across the city serving as our stage. The London Borough of Greenwich hosted the experience for the first-time including the Old Royal Naval College and the world-famous Shakespeare’s Globe, where 72 members from the West End Musical Choir sang a medley from the musical Mamma Mia. The grand finale featured a breath-taking firework display before returning to the Globe for a stirring rendition of Auld Lang Syne. The entire experience was crafted in secret, creating a surprise and delight moment for Londoners and millions of viewers around the globe.
Impact
The experience was viewed by millions around the globe.
- BBC viewership the night of the event: 10.5M views
- Official YouTube video stands at 3,860,726 views
- BBC Facebook 3.1M views