Happy New Year 2014: London tourists greeted by multi-sensory fireworks

Up to 100,000 visitors to London in key viewing areas by the Thames were given packs featuring scratch ‘n’ sniff programmes and LED wristbands.

Up to 100,000 visitors to London in key viewing areas by the Thames were given packs featuring scratch ‘n’ sniff programmes and LED wristbands.

Tourists in London were treated to the world’s first “multi-sensory” fireworks display as people around the world welcomed in the New Year.
More than 250,000 people lined the Thames for the display, which saw peach snow, edible banana confetti and orange-scented bubbles descend on a section of the crowd.

Firework organisers said a team of 3,000 people worked on the firework display, which was triggered by GPS.

The display was billed as the ”world’s first multi-sensory fireworks display” and included clouds of apple, cherry and strawberry mist, peach snow, and thousands of big bubbles filled with Seville orange-flavoured smoke.

Some 40,000 grams of edible banana confetti rained from the skies.
London Mayor Boris Johnson said: ”There is no better way to celebrate the highs of 2013 and the start of an exciting new year than by seeing one of the world’s most dazzling firework displays, now augmented in more ways than one. Watched by millions around the world, and hundreds of thousands of people from the banks of the Thames, it highlights our capital’s fantastic community spirit and its premier position on the global stage.”
Traditional Hogmanay

In Scotland about 80,000 people took to the streets of Edinburgh for the traditional Hogmanay.

The Pet Shop Boys headlined a Concert in the Gardens, while the street party hosted music on three stages. Traditional Scottish music played at The Keilidh, an outdoor dance event.

Later, the Loony Dook, an annual fixture in Scotland’s calendar for more than 25 years, will see revellers take a plunge into the chilly Firth of Forth at South Queensferry as part of the celebrations.
It will be among the highlight of the three days of events, complete with a procession of 7,500 torchbearers winding their way through the centre of Edinburgh, which have been planned in Scotland to welcome in the new year.
The city’s celebrations also mark the start of Homecoming Scotland 2014, a year-long programme of events running alongside the Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup.

The Environment Agency said it expected the eight flood warnings and 119 flood alerts in place over England and Wales to increase by New Year’s Eve and in to 2014, which will particularly hit people in the south of England and Wales.

A spokeswoman said: “For New Year’s Day, there is forecast heavy rain which will affect the south-east of England. It could be disruptive to travel and potentially impact on properties.
“Rainfall is also forecast for the south of Wales and England which could lead to some flooding in low-lying areas.”

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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