What to do in London for New Years?

You spent New Years Eve in London and wondering what you can do on January 1st ?! Good news, you won't be bored! The activities are many and varied, such as going to sales, visiting Christmas markets, skating, visiting museums or even going to see a musical!

 

Discover the Christmas lights aboard a vintage bus

First of all, if you want to get a bird's-eye view of the Christmas lights without having to walk, enjoy the 60s routemaster rides. During this 1 hour 15 minute tour, you will see the Oxford Street lights in particular. , Regent Street, Harrods and more.

 

  Information and reservation

New Year's Day Parade

The New Year's Day Parade brings together 85.000 performers including dancers, acrobats, musicians and majorettes parading from Piccadilly to Parliament Square.

This first (free) event of the year attracts thousands of visitors. To make sure you get the best view of the parade, arrive early in the morning or reserve your seats in the stands where you will have a seat.

 

Or ? departure at 12 p.m. from Piccadilly and arrival at 15:30 p.m. at Parliament Square.

Price: £ 37.50 to be in the grandstand. Ticket reservation only on the Ticketmaster website.

Exposition Body Worlds

Conceived by the German professor Gunther von Hagens, the Body Worlds exhibition aims to explain the mysteries and the transformations of the organism by relying on real human bodies.
This traveling exhibition presents a total of 200 bodies and organs kept intact thanks to plastination, a technique for preserving human bodies invented by Gunther von Hagens.

With over 45 million visitors, Body Worlds Vital is one of the most visited health exhibitions in the world. Often described as a "life changing experience", Body Worlds will give you a better understanding of the complexity of the human body.

Information and reservations at the British Tourist Office 

When? Until October 1, 2020
Or ?  London Pavilion at Piccadilly Circus
Price : 27 €

Metro bus Piccadilly Circus3, 6, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 22, 23, 38, 88, 94, 139, 453

 

Make the sales on New Year's Day

Luckily, some London department stores are open on New Year's Day! Here is the opportunity to do the winter sales to get good deals and continue to have fun even after Christmas!

Stores open in London on January 1

 

Museums open for New Year's Day

If you want to entertain your children in a fun way while staying warm and dry, then I suggest you visit a museum or attraction open for the 1st day of the year.
Museums that will suit a young audience are: Madame Tussauds, Sea life Aquarium, Shrek's Adventure and London Zoo weather permitting.

9h30 - 17h00 ">Hampton Court Palace10h00 - 17h00 HMS Belfast 10h00 - 17h00 ">Household Cavalry Museum10h00 - 17h00 ">Kew Gardens10h00 - 15h00 London Dungeon10h00 - 17h45 London Eye11h00 - 18h00 Madame Tussauds9h00 - 18h00 Sea Life Aquarium10h00 - 19h00 Shakespeare's Globe9h30 - 17h00 Shrek's Adventure10h00 - 15h45 Tate Britain10h00 - 18h00 Tate Modern10h00 - 18h00 The Shard10h00 - 18h00 Tower Bridge10h00 - 17h00 London zoo10h00 - 16h00

Christmas markets to visit on January 1

You can extend the magic of Christmas by visiting the latest Christmas markets open on New Year's Day. That of Winter Wonderland is the largest and the most complete (market, rides, shows, skating rink, chalets…) which will appeal to both children and adults.

Ice rinks open on New Year's Day in London

The ice rinks are still numerous and so much the better! They are in the open air, an integral part of certain Christmas markets or at the foot of monuments in the city.

Take a guided tour in French in the footsteps of Jack the Ripper

Follow in the footsteps of Jack the Ripper with Maxime, a French guide in London who will unveil the mysteries of this murderer who executed five women in 1888 in the district of Whitechapel.

If the subject interests you, intrigues you and you want to know better the districts of Whitechapel, Spitalfields and Brick Lane, this visit in the footsteps of Jack the Ripper will teach you a lot about this mysterious murderer. Passionate about history, Maxime accurately presents the political and social context of the time. Give many details on the atmosphere of this gloomy neighborhood where the victims live, mostly single women who engage in prostitution to survive.

Although rich in information, the visit is by no means tedious. Maxime, who is a dynamic and sympathetic boy, brings his story to life thanks to many anecdotes.

You can book your guided tour and discover all the modalities on the Welink site. In addition, Maxime also provides other guided tours in French in London such as " Haunted London - Ghosts and Tales of Death "," City of London: tales and legends of the historic center"," Secrets of Westminster" page (in French).

The activities of the Barbican center

Start 2020 by discovering an exhibition dedicated to the history of cabarets around the world, from London to New York, including Paris, Mexico City, Berlin, Vienna and Ibadan.

The Barbican is also hosting a second exhibition dedicated to artificial intelligence.

Reservation imperative on the Barbican Center website

When? January 1, 2020 at 12 p.m. to 00 p.m.
Or ? Barbican Center
How many ? £ 15 - £ 17