The impressive New Year’s Eve fireworks display in London is the biggest in all of Europe. Over 100,000 spectators travel from other continents to see the breathtaking display in person. In a magnificent display, the display is broadcast live to 11 million viewers across the UK and tens of millions more around the entire world, putting London and the UK on the international stage to ring in the new year.
The New Year’s Eve fireworks in London are essential to the UK tourism sector because they attract tourists, businesses, and investments that bring in millions of pounds for the country’s economy.
Because of their size, London fireworks are not inexpensive. Have you ever wondered who pays for the London New Year’s fireworks, and how much do new year fireworks cost?
In this blog, we will reveal how much we spend on average each year for the London event, as well as other displays around the world. Furthermore, we will provide you with some tips and tricks in case you want to arrange one yourself.
The London New Year’s eve Fireworks Event
In 1999, London launched its enduring yearly fireworks display to mark the millennium. Since then, an increasing number of people have flocked to the Southbank to view the fireworks and take part in the festivities. As a result, in 2014, tickets had to be sold for the event in order to control the crowd size.
The largest and most impressive New Year’s Eve fireworks display in the UK is the London Fireworks event. It has about 12,000 fireworks in a professionally designed display that lasts for about 10-15 minutes. More than 10 million viewers watched the renowned London New Year’s Eve fireworks in December 2020, which were accompanied by a 300-strong drone display.
How much do new year fireworks cost for the London event?
The price of the fireworks display has fluctuated over the past ten years, going from £1.8 million in 2010 to £2.3 million in 2018 and 2019. Over the past ten years, the New Year’s fireworks display has cost an average of £2 million.
2020’s London fireworks will set you back £1.5 million. But this is a rare occurrence. The budget for the fireworks display for the New Year fell in 2020. Due to Covid-19 restrictions and London’s Tier 4 lockdown, the event had to be cancelled. The London Eye, The Shard, and the Tower Bridge were all included in a surprise firework display and drone performance that was broadcast over the Thames.
Who pays for the London Fireworks?
The Greater London Authority Arts and Culture Fund cover the cost of the London fireworks, making the lavish display on December 31 possible.
For the benefit of all Londoners and tourists, the GLA Arts and Culture fund is used to make public events, programmes, and community projects feasible. Taxes, transportation costs, business rates, and council tax are used to fund the GLA.
The money used to purchase the fireworks in London comes from this pot. The entire cost of the fireworks is covered by this Greater London Authority. The price of the fireworks themselves, their installation, and the execution of the display are all covered by the proceeds from ticket sales.
Around the world, How much do new year fireworks cost?
There are many cities around the world that welcome the new year with spectacular fireworks displays, not just London. All capital cities will be ringing in the new year with their own pyrotechnic displays as it dawns around the world.
Over 50,000 individual fireworks are launched over the Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, and a fleet of barges during Sydney, Australia’s spectacular firework display. With 500,000 fireworks launched from the recognisable Burj Khalifa, Dubai broke the Guinness World Record for the largest firework display in history in 2014.
Even though New Year is celebrated at a different time in all places, you can, of course, expect to see spectacular fireworks from cities across the globe to welcome in the new year in their time zone, where thousands of individual fireworks are launched in a highly curated display.
Here is a list of the most expensive and significant New Year’s displays from around the globe:
Abu Dhabi, $20 million
With a display that cost a staggering $20 million USD and lasted 55 minutes, Abu Dhabi broke the record for the most expensive fireworks in 2009. Although expensive, it doesn’t hold the record for the largest event. The 37th National Day of the UAE was commemorated by the performance. The actual festivities lasted for 12 days, from November 23 to December 4.
Kuwait $15, million
In 2012, Kuwait spent $15 million on an hour-long fireworks show that fired 77,282 shells. Tens of thousands of people watched it as it took place in Kuwait City. It was exactly 50 years ago today that Kuwait became the first Arab country in the Gulf to establish a constitution and a parliament, according to the late Sheikh Abdullah al-Salem al-Sabah.
Dubai, $6 million
Dubai currently holds the title of hosting the biggest fireworks display ever. In just 6 minutes, the 2014 show released 479,651 shells, 80,000 shells per minute, and 1,332 fireworks per second, shattering the previous American record of 400,000 shells. The production of the show cost $6 million.
Sydney, $6.3 million
Due to its time zone and location, Sydney is one of the first cities to ring in the new year and spends $6.3 million annually. The shows, which are renowned for the “waterfall” effect off the Sydney Harbour Bridge, have a different theme each year. Over 1 billion people annually watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks in Sydney, and 1.5 million of them gather along the shore.
New York, est. $6 million
Although the New Year’s Eve ball drop may be New York’s most well-known tradition, fireworks are also very popular there. It is estimated that New York spends $6 million a year and expels 1,600 shells per minute. Millions of spectators flock to see the fireworks, which are launched over the Manhattan skyline.
Using professional displays, how much do new year fireworks cost?
Firework displays are becoming more and more popular at all varieties of celebrations in the world, including the new year celebration. Using a professional display means you don’t have to buy and store physical fireworks. Also, the display team designs the show, supplies and sets up the fireworks, fires the display and then clears up for you.
Knowing roughly what you want and how much money you are willing to spend makes it easier to talk about how much professional new year fireworks cost. Prices for professional fireworks displays typically start from £500. Then, the longer your display, the more expensive it is.
With that being said, the duration of the display and its impact are the main factors when pricing a display. Furthermore, the price also depends on what kind of display you want, whether it’s a quiet fireworks display, daytime fireworks, or an all-aerial display with a huge golden canopy ending.
Showtime Fireworks provides a wide range of fireworks shows for celebrations like weddings, corporate events, low-noise shows, and even new year’s eve shows!
At Showtime Fireworks, our professionals create and carry out the ideal experience for your event. Our designers will work with you to create a stunning, custom display that meets your needs. Our displays are available in traditional, low-noise, pyro-musical guise, and are fully choreographed and electronically fired. We only use the highest quality fireworks that have been carefully sourced from around the world.
How much do new year fireworks cost to do yourself?
If you think using professional fireworks displays is too complicated or too expensive. The good news is, you can easily arrange a fireworks celebration yourself!
Whether setting it up in your back garden or gathering some people over the city hall for the celebration. Here’s our answer to your question: how much do new year fireworks cost?
We would say that you can put on a nice DIY fireworks display for between £100 and £300. But to get the most out of your pocket, we suggest buying assortment packages. The price for these only starts from £50, and they contain multiple shells in different colours and patterns. What great value for money!
At Showtime Fireworks, we’ve got something for everyone at any price point, both in our online fireworks shop and in-store. We supply a vast variety of firework assortment packages for any occasion, not only just the new year. All of our kits come with safety instructions and recommended firing orders with every purchase.
Last but not least, we also offer top-quality discounted packages at maximum savings so be sure to browse our selection here and find the perfect package for your next event!
