The London New Year’s Celebration is one of the most iconic fireworks displays in the world, attracting viewers from all corners of the globe.

After the pandemic forced us to pivot the 2020 performance to a 100% live broadcast model with no spectators, the Mayor of London’s office challenged us to replicate our success for 2021 with one major caveat: this year’s show – also for a complete broadcast format – had to celebrate the city’s diverse cultural heritage, highlight London returning to life again and spread a message of hope and positivity for the new year.

As the city’s trusted NYE production partner of 17 years, we were more than ready to take on the challenge and set out to craft an experience for a population shouldering on through the lingering effects of the pandemic.

People were yearning for live experiences so, we decided to give them one.

Working in partnership with the Mayor of London’s office and broadcast partner, the BBC, we helped London welcome the new year with a dynamic, innovative broadcast experience infused with theatrical magic from some of London’s top creative talent. Integrating live performances in London NYE for the first-time.

Instead of featuring the traditional locations such as the London Eye and the Tower Bridge, we gave the new theatrical show a brand-new stage, lighting up the skies above the Borough of Greenwich with a dazzling light, firework, and drone fueled display. Integrating it with live musical performances filmed at the famous, Shakespeare’s Globe theatre.

The entire experience was crafted in secret to celebrate the creative community and the city’s diverse cultural heritage. A true moment of surprise and delight for Londoners everywhere.

Feelings of nostalgia and hope for a return to live experiences with friends and family carried people through the pandemic. We wanted to create a memorable experience that carried that same positive and hopeful message. So, we turned to the creative community – an industry heavily impacted by the pandemic – where storytelling and escapism abound. With this as our inspiration, we created an experience that would appeal to Londoners of all ages.

Feelings of nostalgia and hope for a return to live experiences with friends and family carried people through the pandemic. We wanted to create a memorable experience that carried that same positive and hopeful message. So, we turned to the creative community – an industry heavily impacted by the pandemic – where storytelling and escapism abound. With this as our inspiration, we created an experience that would appeal to Londoners of all ages.

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 inspiring display of light, fireworks and 500 drones synchronized by GPS satellite navigation above the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. It was largest drone display ever seen in the UK, celebrating London’s diverse cultural heritage with stunning 3D images highlighting key events we hope will bring people together again in 2022. Including Carnival, the upcoming football season, and concert performances.

Following, we transported viewers to the world-famous Shakespeare’s Globe where 72 members of the West End Musical Choir performed a live medley from the popular musical Mamma Mia.

The grand finale featured a breathtaking firework display before returning to the Globe for a stirring rendition of Auld Lang Syne.

The entire experience was performed and broadcasted live on BBC One and iPlayer.

We delivered a hopeful and unifying new year’s broadcast experience that captured the diversity of the City of London.

• 10.5M views for live BBC telecast

• 3,899,498 official YouTube video views

• 3.1M views on BBC Facebook

“I am delighted that we’ve put on a unique display showcasing the very best of London to the rest of the world...For the first time ever, we also included live performances to celebrate London’s world-class creative sector which has been hit hard by the pandemic. Our unique cultural offer is one of the reasons we are the greatest city in the world, and I’m delighted that tonight we have sent a message to the world that we are strong, we are resilient, and we can look forward to 2022 in London with excitement” -- Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan