London and cities across the world are preparing to welcome 2026 with stunning fireworks show and celebrations.
In the UK capital, a large number of people are expected to arrive for the show. As a result, visitors have been told to avoid large parts of Central London due to congestion, including Big Ben, the London Eye, Trafalgar Square, Victoria Embankment, Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Waterloo Bridge and Southwark Bridge.
Paul Martinelli, the chair of the City Bridge Foundation, warned that “significant crowding on the bridges…can present a danger to all bridge users.”
Meanwhile, numerous cities around the world have cancelled some events. Sydney has cancelled a smaller firework show on Bondi Beach, Paris has cancelled a music event on the Champs-Elysées, and Tokyo has called off the countdown outside the city’s Shibuya Station due to stampede fears.
A jazz band and dance company have pulled out of events at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after it was renamed to include Donald Trump. The Cookers didn’t say why they pulled out, but drummer Billy Hart told The New York Times that it “evidently” had something to do with the centre’s name change.
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