Thousands line streets of London for colourful New Year’s Day parade

Thousands of people lined the streets of London to watch the colourful annual New Year’s Day parade.

More than 8,000 performers took part in the display along the route from Piccadilly to Whitehall in the West End, which included marching bands, acrobats and floats.

Crowds braved the bitter temperatures to watch dancers dressed as daffodils and a procession of Mokes – small open-top vehicles.

It comes after 100,000 watched the New Year fireworks display from the banks of the River Thames.

Sir Sadiq Khan has hailed the capital’s celebrations as the “greatest in the world”.

The spectacular display – set to a soundtrack which included the likes of Raye, Sabrina Carpenter, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay and featuring voice overs from stars such as Celia Imrie, Andrew Cotter and Alison Hammond – celebrated some of the highlights of 2025.

Among the feats acknowledged in the display were England’s Women’s Rugby World Cup triumph, the Lionesses retaining the Euros and Europe’s Ryder Cup win, while there was also a nod to the film Wicked: For Good.

Speaking to the Press Association, Mayor of London Sir Sadiq said: “We spend a lot of time and effort curating our New Year’s Eve celebrations – the theme of tonight’s celebration is togetherness.

“I think diversity is a strength, not a weakness – it makes us richer, not poorer, stronger, not weaker. I think you can be a proud Londoner but also someone whose country of origin is somewhere across the globe.

“I’m delighted that we have once again shown why London’s New Year’s Eve celebrations are the greatest in the world.”

More than 12,000 fireworks and more than 400 lights illuminated the night sky around the London Eye, with hologauze animations complementing the largest annual firework display in Europe on the BBC’s coverage.

Tracy Halliwell, director of tourism at London and Partners, which runs Visit London, said: “It’s always fantastic to see Londoners and visitors from around the world come together and welcome the new year in London.”