UK prepares for New Year celebrations as cold weather warnings issued- QHN

Revellers are beginning to descend on New Years celebrations across the UK to ring in 2026.

In London, about 100,000 people are expected to attend the Mayor of London’s fireworks event along the Thames, while in Edinburgh tens of thousands are preparing for the world-famous Hogmanay street party.

Other celebrations are planned across the country, from Belfast to Cardiff, Manchester and Newcastle.

The Met Office has warned of nationwide cold snaps, with yellow warnings for snow and ice issued across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland to be in force between midnight and noon on 2 January.

Chilly conditions are expected to have an impact on transport, with people urged to prepare for longer journey times by road, bus and train services if travelling for the firework displays in London and Edinburgh.

Colder Arctic air will spread across the UK from New Year’s Day with significant snowfall expected in northern Scotland, according to BBC Weather.

The Met Police has warned people without tickets not to try to go to the Mayor of London’s fireworks event, centred around the London Eye and Big Ben, as tickets have sold out.

National Rail has said a number of train companies will be running extra services after midnight on New Year’s Eve as events in London start to draw to a close.

Primrose Hill in Camden – a popular vantage point offering panoramic views of the capital – will be closed after the Royal Parks charity decided to shut the park from 20:00 GMT on 30 December until 06:00 on New Year’s Day.

There had been concerns about the safety of celebrations at the park after 16-year-old Harry Pitman was fatally stabbed there during the New Year’s Eve fireworks viewing in 2023.

Forecasters say there will be strong northerly winds too with an additional Met Office yellow warning for wind in north-east Scotland and the Northern Isles from 21:00 GMT Wednesday to 09:00 Thursday.

On Friday an area of snow showers will move across Northern Ireland, Wales, southern areas of North-West England, the Midlands and into southern England.

The cold spell is likely to last over a week with amber cold health alerts issued across the whole of England by the UK’s Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

Cold health alerts from the UKHSA have been upgraded to amber, external for the whole of England and will be in place until 12:00 on 6 January.

The alerts warn of a rise in deaths particularly among elderly and vulnerable people.

The Met Office has warned of injuries due to slips and falls on icy surfaces, which will develop quickly as sleet and snow clears.

New snow and ice warning is in place for a large swathe of England and Wales, including Chester and Greater Manchester down to London and Kent.

In Edinburgh, the organisers of Hogmanay will be saving money this year as they will be using some of the fireworks bought for last year’s event which was cancelled.

Will Evans, director of Titanium Fireworks, told the BBC this year there would be a six-minute show, involving about 10,000 fireworks, accompanied by a bespoke soundtrack.

The last ScotRail trains on Hogmanay will depart earlier than normal and no trains will run on New Year’s Day, the rail firm has said.

Elsewhere in Scotland, Stonehaven’s Hogmanay fireballs event will go ahead, with about 10,000 people expected to attend.

Around the world, 2026 has already been welcomed in large parts of the eastern Hemisphere.

Japan and South Korea marked the event with bell-ringing ceremonies in their capital cities, while Australians celebrated with a spectacular firework display in Sydney.