The city’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration is finally returning to Victoria Park after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Londoners are being welcomed back to the celebration for the first time since 2019. The event will feature live music and entertainment, outdoor skating, activities for families and children, free hot chocolate, light displays and two firework shows throughout the night.
“The entertainment will flow non-stop at Victoria Park, with local performers and musicians taking the stage throughout the night,” read a media release from the City of London.
Local children’s entertainers including The Thinking Caps and Ill at Will, a Canadian street dance crew, will kick of festivities at 7 p.m. with sing-a-long song and breakdancing.
Live music from local musicians such as Full Throttle, Lindsey and The Lonelies, Nameless Friends and the Forest City London Music Awards All-Star Band will begin performances starting at 8 p.m. until midnight. Firework displays are scheduled for 9 p.m. and midnight.
As usual, the London Transit Commission will offer free service around the city on December 31 after 8 p.m. Street parking will also be available for free downtown after 6 p.m. and will be free all day on January 1, 2023.
Cyclists can lock up their bikes near the park on the south side of the bandshell, at the corner of Richmond and Central streets along Wellington Street and Dufferin Avenue, and outside London City Hall under the west overhang. Bike lockers are also available for rent on the north end of Clarence Street next to Victoria Park.
The event is free, however those planning to hit the outdoor rink are encouraged to bring their own skates, otherwise skate rentals will be available at the bandshell concession for $7.
With just under a month left until 2023, the city is inviting Londoners to get into the holiday spirit ahead of new year’s by coming downtown for the Holly Jolly Market at the Covent Garden Market on Thursdays through Sundays until December 18.
