Can someone tell me where the big celebration in London will take place for New Year's Eve.<BR><BR>Thanks

Hi Lisa,<BR><BR>The big celebration will be in Trafalgar Square but I would not recommend it as there is very little to do in the area ( you will be squashed also with every one else) . I thin there is also very little done to actually celebrate NY in the Sqaure itself. I think also no glass bottles are allowed.<BR>A few years ago they had fireworks along the Thames. I do not know if anything similar is planned. this year.<BR><BR>Regards<BR>Gregory

Sorry to disappoint, but there is construction going on in Trafalgar Square this year and it is essentially closed off to New Year's Eve celebrants. <BR><BR>There is NO official NYE celebration in central London this year, hard as that is to believe. I wrote to the London Tourist Board to express my incredulity...they forwarded a list of hotels, restaurants, theaters, and other venues with New Years Eve &quot;special events&quot;. Would be glad to send it to anyone who is interested (a 96K MS Word file).<BR><BR>David White<BR>[email protected]<BR>

&quot;...There is NO official NYE celebration in central London this year, hard as that is to believe...&quot;<BR><BR>Why the surprise? The English don't celebrate Thanksgiving much either. What surprises me more is the foreign (usually American) expectation than England would have exactly the same traditions and would mark the same celebrations in the same way as back home. <BR><BR>England traditionally makes a big fuss over Christmas - with just about everything shut down so that people can have big parties and dinners with their families. New Year is a much more subdued affair, with most people staying in to watch TV or maybe having a few friends relatives round for drinks. The under-30's will tend to go out for the evening to overcrowded pubs and clubs, and there was indeed more of a party spirit during the Millenium celebrations, but there's not really a New Years tradition in England. <BR><BR>Scotland on the other hand, tends to have a more muted Christmas celebration and a much stronger New Year identity, with people young and old staying up most of the night, &quot;first-footing&quot; with neighbours and relatives - something unheard of south of the border. In recent years, Edinburgh has capitalised on the increasing numbers of international visitors coming to Hogmanay, with the famous Princes St Party.

We most certainly do celebrate NYE in England, we just don't do it in city squares!<BR><BR>Most of us go to friends houses or our local pub and drink too much. Most pubs ar ticket only on NYE, or reserved for regulars.<BR><BR>I am a total scrooge about NYE and spend it alone on my own scowling at the television and muttering. I simply cannot abide the sight of amateur drinkers crammed into pubs. Humbug!

I have always understood that the Brits celebrated Thanksgiving on July 4th.

&gt;I have always understood that the &gt;Brits celebrated Thanksgiving on July &gt;4th.<BR><BR>No, that's known in Britain as &quot;All Fools Day&quot;<BR>

Is July 4th special for some reason (apart from being my nephew's birthday)?

Lisa,<BR><BR>If you want to go to a club New Year's Eve, check out this website: http://www.uk-cl.com/<BR><BR>It lists a bunch of late-night clubs and what they are offering for New Year's.

Gordon,<BR><BR>If Brits don't celebrate New Year's Eve in public what was all that fuss with the Millennium celebration? And who are those folks who crowd into Trafalgar Square most years...all tourists?<BR><BR>Thanksgiving IS traditional American holiday...so I wouldn't expect it to be observed in London. I don't expect fireworks in New York on Guy Fawkes Night either. But New Year's is a major event in most western cities, so I AM surprised that there is no official public event in a city of 7 million.<BR><BR>

David,<BR><BR>Re-read my post. As I pointed out, the Millenium was different, the only time I can ever recall widespread New Year celebrations involving fireworks, people of all ages joining in etc. I wish it was more of an occasion, but the (sad) reality is that most New Years in England are a non-event, unless you are a teenage/twenty-something clubber. Overseas visitors should take this into account when planning a New Year visit, in order to avoid disappointment.

I was there for New Years 1999 and it seemed like there was just a much partying going on in Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, and Covent Garden.<BR><BR>Trafalgar Square was as crowded as Gregory said. There was no count down, just a lot of revelry.

Thanks all you people asking about the lack of celebrations of Thanksgiving in the Uk- you have just given me and all my colleagues a really huge laugh...!! Are you people really that stupid? If you actually think about what Thanksgiving is, you will realise that <BR>its of no relevance at all to anyone outside the US. Also, Im fairly sure that July 4th is indepence day, not the day we celebrate thanksgiving in the Uk

Incredulous - They were making a JOKE about July 4th and Thanksgiving. You know, the Brits are thankful that the US is independent! Jeez. <BR><BR>Some people on these boards are so quick to be smart a$$es, they end up sounding even stupider than the people they accuse of being stupid in the first place.

Incredulous - go to www.dictionary.com and enter &quot;irony&quot; - it will all start to make sense.

Interesting article on bbc news about new years and getting liquored up.<BR>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/2593929.stm