By Harry Nara · Last updated
- Where
- Piccadilly to Parliament Square, Westminster
- Tickets
- Free
- Time of year
- January
- Dates
- Around the same dates every year
From the organisers: Friday 1 January 2027, 1pm to 4:30pm, with grandstand, VIP and Fun Zone ticket holders admitted from noon. It is the 41st parade; the first ran in 1987. The start time has moved before (the 2025 parade began at 12:30pm), so check it again in late December.
We may earn a small commission from bookings made through this link. Prices stay the same for you.
A free afternoon parade through Westminster on New Year’s Day: more than 8,500 performers, including over twenty marching bands from the United States and floats from London’s boroughs, along a 2.2-mile route from Piccadilly to Parliament Square. Anyone can watch from the pavement for nothing. About 3,000 seats in grandstands, a VIP area and a Fun Zone are sold through Ticketmaster, and their holders are let in from noon for the 1pm start.
What London New Year’s Day Parade actually is
The London Parade, which most people still call by its old name, the London New Year’s Day Parade, fills the West End and Whitehall on the first afternoon of the year. It has run every year for four decades. The first act sets off at 1pm, the last passes at about half past four, and the organisers expect more than 600,000 people along the way.
It is brass and spectacle rather than a civic pageant. Over 800 cheerleaders and more than twenty American marching bands take part, some of them youth bands crossing the Atlantic for it, along with samba dancers, stunt riders, vintage vehicles and giant balloons.
London’s own contribution is the borough entries. Every borough and the City of Westminster is invited to put in an act or a float, and each competes for a share of a £50,000 prize pot that goes to charity; the parade puts its total for London causes at more than £2.5 million. The visiting bands and choirs also give a short run of concerts in Westminster halls and churches in the days either side.
Where to stand along the route
- Green Park and Piccadilly, for the start. The parade sets off just off Piccadilly near Green Park station and heads east past the Ritz. The organisers say the crowds are lighter here, with grandstands, toilets and first aid close by, and you see every act fresh.
- Regent Street St James’s and Waterloo Place. From Piccadilly Circus the route turns down Regent Street St James’s and then left along Pall Mall. Waterloo Place, where the two meet, holds the ticketed Fun Zone beside the press zone, and the open pavements either side have screens and first aid.
- Trafalgar Square, the most popular stretch. Nelson’s Column and the National Gallery stand behind the bands, there are big screens, and the crowd is at its deepest. Come for the atmosphere rather than for elbow room.
- Whitehall and Parliament Square, for the finish. The last leg passes Horse Guards and Downing Street and ends beside Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. Whitehall holds more grandstands, the VIP areas and the accessible viewing, and Westminster station at the end makes it the easiest place to leave from.
Tickets and what it costs
Standing on the pavement costs nothing, and that is how nearly everyone watches. The paid places, about 3,000 across the route, come in three kinds: covered grandstand seats with commentary, a parade guide and a flag; VIP seating with food and drink and its own toilets; and the Fun Zone, a festival-style enclosure where you can bring a folding chair or a picnic blanket. All are sold through Ticketmaster, which shows the current prices.
Ticket holders are let in from noon, an hour before the start. The accessible viewing area is partly covered and has an accessible toilet, and anyone with a ticket for it, along with an essential companion, must be seated by half past twelve.
Official information and booking: londonparade.com
Getting there
Take the Tube and expect the roads to be shut. The parade closes streets across St James’s and Westminster for the afternoon, buses are diverted or cut short, and a taxi will not get near it. Green Park serves the start, Piccadilly Circus the top of Regent Street St James’s, Charing Cross Trafalgar Square and Westminster the finish. Crowded stations can be closed for a time or made exit-only, so check TfL before you set off.
Dress for standing still. A January afternoon in London is cold and often damp, the sun sets before the parade ends, and two or three hours at a barrier is a long time in thin shoes.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Going to the finish for 1pm
One o’clock is when the head of the parade leaves Piccadilly, and it has more than two miles to cover. At Parliament Square the first acts arrive well into the afternoon, so if you want the opening on time, stand near Green Park.
Arriving at the start time for a front-row spot
The organisers describe the pavements filling from early morning. For a place at the barrier, especially around Trafalgar Square, get there in the late morning; at one o’clock you will be watching over heads.
Treating the Fun Zone as a seat
Its fold-out chairs are first come, first served. The ticket lets you bring your own chair or a blanket, so do if you would rather not stand.
Trusting last year’s start time
The start has moved between years, from half past twelve one year to 1pm the next. Check the time on the organisers’ site for the year you go.
Other London events
Frequently asked questions
Is the London New Year’s Day Parade free?
Yes. Watching from the pavement anywhere along the route is free. Grandstand, VIP and Fun Zone places are ticketed and sold through Ticketmaster.
What time does the London New Year’s Day Parade start?
It starts at 1pm and finishes at about 4:30pm. Ticket holders are let in from noon, and places at the barrier fill from the morning.
What is the route of the London New Year’s Day Parade?
It runs 2.2 miles from Piccadilly near Green Park, down Regent Street St James’s, along Pall Mall, through Trafalgar Square and down Whitehall to finish at Parliament Square.
Where is the best place to watch the London New Year’s Day Parade?
Near Green Park for lighter crowds and the start, Trafalgar Square for the atmosphere and big screens, and Parliament Square for the finish and the easiest exit, from Westminster station.
Who takes part in the London New Year’s Day Parade?
More than 8,500 performers: marching bands and cheer teams, many from the United States, plus samba groups, stunt riders and floats from London’s boroughs, which compete for a charity prize pot.
Sources
- London Parade, location and timing
- London Parade, the next parade announced
- London Parade, route and viewing spots
- London Parade, the Fun Zone, grandstand and VIP tickets
- London Parade, the Borough Competition
- Ticketmaster, the parade’s ticket seller
- Transport for London, live status
Dates on this page are checked against the organiser’s own listing and confirmed through 2027. Written and maintained by Harry Nara.