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There's no law that says you have to spend New Year getting roaring drunk in a sweaty crowd of friends. You could spend it laughing, spinning around on roller-skates, or at a transvestite cabaret. You could even watch the fireworks, go to bed, and then bring your kids out for the parade the next day. There's something for everyone in London on December 31st.
 New Year's Day Parade Parliament Square, SW1P 3PA New Year's Day, 1st January 2008 A major American-style parade, with extravagant floats, marching bands from around the country and beyond, street performers and a host of family activities. Around half a million revellers are expected to turn out for this relatively new but hugely popular start to the New Year. Expect vast, Disney-style floats, with plenty of loud music but only a little dancing in the street as many of the parents attending will feel slightly fragile. This is a great way to get 2005 off to an active start, see the streets of London and work off some Christmas flab. The kids will love it as well. The parade begins at Big Ben at 12:00, and travels up Parliament Street and through to Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus and then proceeds along Piccadilly to finish at 14:45 in Berkeley Street. Venue: Parliament Square to Berkeley Square, SW1P 3PA Date: New Year's Day, 1st January 2008 Time: 12:00-14:45 Pricing: Free (grandstand tickets available for £15) Nearest Station: Westminster Tube New Year's Day Parade - Information   Super Furry Animals: The Best New Year's Eve Party EverRoyal Festival Hall, SE1 8XX New Year's Eve, 31st December 2007 The Southank Centre is clearly the ideal spot for New Year in London. It's a massive venue with three concert halls, some great bars and restaurants, and fantastic terraces right over the Thames, just at the spot where the fireworks are being let off. The flip side of this is that, as a major publicly-funded arts organisation, it is all a little bit serious. In an attempt to loosen up a bit, they've made the excellent choice of the Super Furry Animals as their party organisers. The Welsh indie band and sometime techno DJ/promoters have a reputation for hard partying, and for making their live shows some of the silliest and most entertaining on the circuit. They're promising a 'surrealist playground defying the logic of time' which is set to include artists, installations, happenings, bands and DJs. It's not cheap, but with Gruff Rhys and his mates in charge, you can be sure that it'll be unlike anything else happening in the capital this year. Venue: Royal Festival Hall Address: Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX Phone: 020 7960 4242 Date: New Year's Eve, 31st December 2007 Time: 20:30 Pricing: £50 Nearest Station: Waterloo Tube Super Furry Animals: The Best New Year's Eve Party Ever - Information  The Lip SinkersBistrotheque, E2 9DN New Year's Eve, 31st December 2007 Bistrotheque regulars the Lip Sinkers bring the noble art of lip synching and the chaos of 21st century camp together in a drag act of disturbing brilliance. Kicking off an hour before midnight, they'll be the highlight of the evening at this effortlessly cool Bethnal Green bar/restaurant. In order to see them, you're going to have to go for the special New Year's Eve tasting menu which is a bit of a downside: excellent though the Bistrotheque kitchen is, eight courses might leave you a bit bloated for a big night out. Still, you'll also get to celebrate New Year's Eve with a very chic East London set, and watch one of the capital's finest cabaret acts. Venue: Bistrotheque Address: 23 - 27 Wadeson Street, E2 9DN Phone: 020 8983 7900 Date: New Year's Eve, 31st December 2007 Time: Dinner 19:00-21:00, cabaret 21:00-1:30 Pricing: Dinner £55, Cabaret £20 Nearest Station: Bethnal Green Tube The Lip Sinkers - Information  New Year's Eve FireworksLondon Eye, Jubilee Gardens, SE1 7PB New Year's Eve, 31st December 2007 This annual display crams enough firepower for an hour-long show into ten explosive minutes, lighting up the sky for miles around. Launched from the foot of the London Eye from rafts on the Thames, it's visible from most of central London: the basic rule is that if you can see the London Eye, you'll be able to see the fireworks. The biggest party will be in Trafalgar Square (though this has been marred on occasion by heavy-handed policing). The best views are from Victoria Embankment, the South Bank, and Westminster and Waterloo Bridges. Venue: London Eye, Jubilee Gardens Address: South Bank, SE1 7PB Phone: 020 7437 4370 Date: New Year's Eve, 31st December 2007 Time: 23:50 (Hungerford Bridge will be closed after 20:00, and there will also be no entry to Westminster Bridge after 20:00) Pricing: Free Nearest Station: Waterloo Tube / Rail New Years Eve Fireworks - Information  Comedy Cafe New Year's EveComedy Cafe, EC2A 3AY New Year's Eve, 31st December 2007 Fifty quid seems a frightening amount of money to pay for a mediocre three-course meal and a few stand-ups, but regulars at the Comedy Cafe will know that this venue seldom puts a foot wrong, and is certain to provide great value for money. The four comedians they've booked - Gordon Southern, Junior Simpson, Glenn Wool and Martin Davis - are very different, but the one thing they all have in common is a fantastic rapport with the audience. The need for a live crowd reacting to them is the reason that none of these extremely funny men have ever made the jump to television comedy, but it's also the reason why this is a perfectly programmed New Year's Eve line-up. While some comedians might struggle to control the raucous New Year crowd, these four will have everyone falling off their chairs laughing - and the atmosphere should stick around for the disco after the show. Venue: Comedy Cafe Address: 66 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY Phone: New Years' Eve, 31st December 2007 Time: Doors 18:00, Show 21:00, Bar closes 01:30 Pricing: £49.50 Nearest Station: Old Street Tube Comedy Cafe New Year's Eve - Information  New Year's Eve Gangsters and Molls BanquetVolupte, EC4A 1EJ New Year's Eve, 31st December 2007 The crowd at this chic cabaret/bar tend to dress like characters from 1930s films anyway, but, anticipating that for their New Year's Eve Banquet there may be a few tourists down, Volupte have ensured that everybody looks the part by specifying a gangsters and molls dress code. It's a lovely little venue, with a decadent and outrageous style, brilliant retro cocktails and food that's also far better than you'd expect, in a place where it is definitely a secondary consideration to fashion, music and entertainment. If you can tear your eyes away from the extravagantly chic regulars, there'll also be a stage show to enjoy with their usual mixture of cabaret, vaudeville comedy and mild striptease, followed by a night of dancing to jazz, pop rock 'n' roll and whatever else tickles the DJs funny-bone. Venue: Volupte Address: 9 Norwich St, EC4A 1EJ Phone: 020 7831 1622 Date: New Year's Eve, 31st December 2007 Time: Dinner 19:00-22:00, club 22:00-3:00 Pricing: Three-course banquet and club £149, club £34 Nearest Station: Chancery Lane Tube New Year's Eve Gangsters and Molls Banquet - Information  Roller DiscoRenaissance Rooms, SW8 1RZ New Year's Eve, 31st December 2007 There's always the possibility of minor injuries on any proper New Year celebration, but only at Vauxhall's Renaissance Rooms does it almost become a probability, as hundreds of high-speed roller-skated disco dancers attempt to ring in 2008 without colliding. The quality of the skating will probably be pretty high as the most dedicated regulars at this cheery night choose to end 2007 on their wheels, but beginners are always made welcome. The usual soundtrack of funk, soul and disco is great for a party, and all the crashing into each other breaks the ice perfectly - indeed this is one of the most welcoming club nights we've been to in London, even for those who can barely stay vertical in skates. Prices are also very reasonable, with £22 covering your skate hire as well as your entry. Venue: Renaissance Rooms Address: off Miles Street, SW8 1RZ Phone: 0207 630 6625 Date: New Year's Eve, 31st December 2007 Time: 20:00-3:00 Pricing: £22 Nearest Station: Vauxhall Tube / Rail Roller Disco - Information |
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