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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
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Fat Tony

OPINION - London on New Year’s Eve is now too raucous and expensive, New Year's Day is better

I’m not being funny but… New Year’s Eve is overrated. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing in a new chapter each year but the expense of it all has made it a luxury rather than a “mere” privilege. Without wanting to generalise too much, real Londoners don’t go all out on NYE.

The fireworks used to be a lovely way to unite the city in a spectacle known the world over. Now the display costs £20 per person and has been a ticketed event for the past seven years. Community feel is priceless and, let’s face it, we need it now more than ever. Because it’s now a ticketed show, the event has become a tourist attraction more than anything and it’s certainly lost that community charm in the process.

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