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My Dream New Year’s Eve: London Fireworks WORDS BY LUCY MAGGS IMAGE BY AYLA FAZIOLI
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ver since I can remember, I’ve loved fireworks - the bundles of people in woolly hats and gloves, holding warm cups of tea and mulled wine and looking up at the sky never fails to give me that warm fuzzy feeling. As an owner of three cats, I realise it is slightly out of character to love this loud and boisterous event, however one bang and one burst of colour makes me feel like an excited child again. I even go home every November to watch my little village’s Fireworks Night, with more anticipation than Christmas. New Years Eve fireworks are no exception - I have never seen any in person, but after the countdown, sips of prosecco and an awkward performance of Auld Lang Syne, I stand in silence and watch the televised fireworks over the London Eye. One day I would love to see them in person, and actually see a choreographed dance of colours to music celebrating the year. To be in such a great mix of people, all looking up at the sky, would be something I would never forget. However, my idyllic view of my New Year’s Eve does not blind me to the downsides - travelling to London for me is fairly easy, but the journey back amongst all the crowds would be a nightmare. I also tend to get quite nervous with preplanned events and whether I’ll be thirsty, or hungry, or I’ll need the bathroom! So, in my ideal world, I would have an extravagant hotel booked in the city for the night and absolutely no worries. The event itself would make everything worth it for me. What I love about fireworks are their immediacy - there’s no time to think about something else if you are paying attention to what’s above you. To have this on such a larger scale, in such a pretty part of London, would be mesmerising. Last year, as well as fireworks, there were drones flying around in amazing formations and shapes over the O2. This was arguably as impressive as the perfectly timed fireworks that had preceded them. Hopefully, they will become a regular occurrence and included in the annual celebration, but if not they are definitely included in my hypothetical perfect New Year’s Eve night out! Of course, as well as the swarm of people around me I wouldn’t actually be alone - my family would be together, all of us shivering and muttering complaints, and all of it falling away as the Big Ben chimed. My mum would reveal a small bottle of prosecco she’s hidden the whole day, and we would clumsily cross our arms to sing vague noises in our rendition of Auld Lang Syne, all in front of the Thames and the smoke below the dazzle of banging and fizzing. 34
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