PERFECT PARADE

All images: ©Destination Events/London New Year’s Day Parade MEGA BALLOONS

Marching into 2023

Destination Events produced the London New Year’s Day Parade. Read on, as Joe Bone, parade director, discusses event challenges and event developments

Huge crowds lined the streets of London to watch more than 8,700 performers take part in the London New Year’s Day Parade (LNYDP) – the first time that the large-scale event has taken place since the pandemic.

A far cry from the inaugural parade in 1987, which consisted of 2,000 performers, LNYDP now attracts more than 8,000 participants from the USA, UK, Europe and beyond to delight street audiences of almost 650,000. They line the 2.2-mile route that starts in Piccadilly and ends in Parliament Street, in the heart of Westminster.

Joe Bone, executive director of LNYDP, is the parade director. He said: “Over the last 15 years, I have worked on the event in various positions. I’ve been a van driver, a director of logistics, and I’ve looked after merchandise. This year was my first year as parade director and our first year back.”

Destination Events, organiser of LNYDP, kept the parade’s “wheels spinning” during 2021 and 2022, ensuring the brand was in a strong position to return in 2023. In 2022, Destination Events produced a small event with 1,000 spectators and 1,000 performers. Whilst a great event, it did not compare to the usual spectacle that consists of cheerleaders, marching bands, classic cars, acrobats, street performers, stunt riders, and giant inflatable balloons.

Bone continued: “The London New Year’s Day Parade in 2020 was the last big event in London to take place. We have been working on the event’s return for some time. Nothing has changed. To be honest, our plan has been to just get back and do exactly what we did in 2020, but we decided to increase the number of performers in the parade and reduce the number of vehicles.

“That change has worked nicely. We would usually have 350 vehicles. This year, we had 100 with only the best vehicles on the route. Fewer vehicles meant we could allow for more singing and dancing, as we felt there was a huge desire to give the performers a platform, having been out of the spotlight for so long.”

But it wasn’t the only change. Destination Events engaged nvisible’s Mark Bustard, managing director, and Jim Baggott, production director, to help produce the event. Bustard, who has vast experience working on London New Year’s Eve fireworks events, brought valuable experience to the event, which had to source new suppliers.

“We tried to use as many suppliers as we could from the 2020 event and that wanted

to work,” Bone added. “Some decided they wanted time off and didn’t want to work on the event, so we had to find new suppliers. Also, we had trouble finding staff. I am hopeful that now we are back in full swing that these issues will be a thing of the past.”

The family event is free to attend. Now, Bone has turned his attention to 2024. He concluded: “The plan is to go again. I’ll admit to being a tiny bit rusty after a couple of quiet years and was pleasantly surprised at how well the event did go. After a couple of years out, you get a bit nervous, and that’s only natural, but I am optimistic about 2024. We will look at the event with fresh eyes and we will be working with nvisible agency again.

“I love the parade; it’s a beautiful, nonpolitical and happy celebration and my job is to make sure it stays that way.”

SUPPLIERS LIST

Audio – NSR Communications Stage and camera platforms – Alistage Radios – Roadphone NRB Stewards/security – SES Group

JOE BONE (CENTRE) AND PERFORMERS