Mumsnet Talk

AIBU to think that in these times of austerity, the fireworks in London were a bit much?
I know we want to show London off to the rest of the world but I'm sure we could have saved a few million and only had fireworks for 5 mins instead of 10mins?

I know, I'm a killjoy aren't I?

I never get excited by fireworks. But YANBU - austeritty and all that.

Someone can certainly afford them in our road. Perhaps whoever it is would like to come and get DC back to sleep.

Who pays for the London fireworks then?

I tucking. Lobe fireworks. I lobed em i do

Who pays for the London fireworks?

And who actually looks at them?

Most people are either drunk or asleep or watching Jools Holland.

I love them. They must cost a fortune.

The edinburgh ones were fantastical and extravagant too. Loved em!

I loved them they were amazing and worth every penny.

They're keeping the economy going making and letting off all those fireworks

I bet all the tourism in London can easily cover the bill for them with all the cash it brings in.

I do love them, must get round to going one year, but the end bit is always way cool ott, looks like a frigging nuclear bomb going off.

Yabu a proper killjoy. They were magnificent and worth every penny!

Tourism. They will probably recoup the cost (optimistic).

We were wondering how much they cost. I reckoned about 50k and DH thought 200k, maybe between the two?

Got to set them all up and do all the techy bits to set them off, which'd cost a fair bit.

It's good to send out a message that we're not too down on our luck, get investors thinking we're worth putting their cash into.

Especially with the adverts we've had for London with all the stuff going on this year and last.

In the words of Peppa Pig blah blah blah

Uk has one of the biggest budget deficits in Europe, Govt spending has not reduced enough to eliminate additional borrowing & 2013 will see publication if comprehensive spending reviews that make for a worrying future.

A couple thousand on fireworks to cheer us up & on into New Year isn't really a problem for me

Same thread more or less last year.

I thought they were brilliant.

Had similar grousing about Olympics and cost.

Again, I thought they were awesome.

This year the fireworks were fantastic - though think I preferred last year's because I was so blown away by the scale of them. I think, if I recall correctly, that the actual cost last year was minimal because the fireworks themselves we paid for by the stagin company (excellent pr for them and a landmark event to be involved with). I wouldn't be surprised if the same applied this time round.

Anyway - all in all a success and feel good factor (in this house certainly).

When I am queen, fireworks will only be for november 5th and then organised displays only.

If they made you feel good they're worth every penny.

My town lit up and sounded like artillery fire. I hate NYE, but it brings a tear to my eye when there's a spontaneous blast of frivolousness.

Welcome 2013, lets see what you've got

I am always a bit "well how much did that cost?" but even I loved them!

They were the celebration of the best year that we have had in living memory, and I think it was a fitting end to2012 for the UK.

I reckon if you wanted to replicate similar display in your south bank sized garden you'd be looking at at millions rather than thousands. But you'd be paying for the fireworks and the staging and presumably wouldn't be offsetting any actual costs against an enormous tourism boost as well as just the sheer numbers of extra people in your garden buying stuff, unlike London.

Ah, shurrup. Who cares how much it all costs. It's all one night of seeing the New Year in style, innit?! What are we supposed to do, stay inside tooting the party poppers to the tune of "All By Myself" and say "knickers" to the world as we're not doing it this year, we're too skint?!
It's New Year. Suck it up and enjoy it. The rest of the year you can all gang up and be misery guts if you so wish.

I love them. We live in Scotland but love to watch the London ones on tv. Three or four years ago they lasted 23 mins, this year only 11. That's austerity for you

Per person watching them they're probably the cheapest fireworks going.

Oh ffs

I loved them & don't begrudge the cost.

However I'm waiting for our neighbour to start any minute with his fucking ackack attack bangers. He always does it, every bloody year, at 1am. Dunno if his clock's slow or he follow some bizarre religion that means the day starts an hour later but JESUS! They're not even pretty, just noisy. Our neighbour across the road is a WW2 veteran and he said to me it sounded just like an aerial bombardment last year

Love them! Fantastic display every year

Stop moaning.

The actual fireworks themselves cost £52K. The fireworks are always televised, and last year 8.8 million people watched them in the UK alone.

Can't believe I was able to I worked this out that's about 0.006p per person, I'd pay that to watch it.

Total waste of money.

You didnt get all this nonsense pre 2000

They didn't have a fireworks display for new year in 1998/9 Amber?

Are you sure?

I friggin hate fireworks. Of any description. In any location. At any time of the year. So there.

I went and watched them. Me, my dh and 2 dd's. they were brilliant. We didn't go all he way to the river (hats of to those who do get there hours in advance), but we got to a spot with a decent view.

Actually I'm surprised at the cost being as low as the 52k quoted by a pp, I would have thought a lot more. But it brings way more money into the area that it costs. I actually heard something on the news earlier that the Edinburgh fireworks for a £1m investment brings in £30m.

Well, security, policing, road closures etc would add more to the cost; £52K is just the figure for the fireworks & control systems alone.

I can't really comment,not living in London but someone I follow on twitter who does (paraphrasing) said " the fireworks are fantastic,all that money spent in this time of austerity,look how they light up the homeless sleeping in doorways. Waste of money"

Posted too soon!

I think that is very much in line with how you feel OP. you are not alone.

They were blooming marvellous. Wish I was there.

I doubt we will have them as big as this again after such a fabulous year for Britain.

I think it will be hard to beat

There is also no way they cost as little as £52k

It was more fireworks than try used in te Olympic ceremonies!

I loved them!

There was almost the same identical thread last year - was that you too OP??

YABU
<gravel>

I was 13 the first time I stayed up for New Year. My mum and I opened the window and listened to the bell ringers at the Parish church chime in the New Year, then we went to bed. I remember thinking "Is that it?!!"

These days, they know how to celebrate! My SIL was at the London celebrations in 2000 and says it was fantastic

They were fab. Anything to spread a little cheer and round off what has been a fairly amazing year for London is good.

Perhaps you'd feel better if a couple of ragged kids had had sparklers instead?

Bah, humbug! YABU
I love fireworks.

We LOVED them - and the soundtrack - brilliant

Apparently the year that Ken Livingston was trying to get us the Olympics, they spent £1m on fireworks, so I would assume the budget is about the same. Thing is for those who haven't/don't live in London don't see if the sheer numbers of people who flood in from Home Counties to watch the fireworks - the trains are heaving with people (I know South East trains just open the barriers so effectively it's free to travel in), many will go in the pubs around there, buy from stalls along the riverbank, pop in the shops to buy more booze stock up on supplies, go for dinner first etc. it probably pays for itself. The budget comes out of hte London assembly money, so council tax, sometimes companies sponsor it. I know they have companies sponsor the free tube travel on NYE, although didn't see if it was being done this year.

Happy with fireworks in London, not happy with ones in my street - woke both children. Grizzle

Way way way more than 52k!!!

They were awesome though!

I hate fireworks when they are in someone's garden or go off at random times during the year.

However the London ones were fantastic lat night..we watched them on tv as the thought of being in those crowds frightens me to death.
Dh called from Sydney last night saying how amazing the fireworks there had been.

Well ours were better....so there.

Good point that it may pay for itself with all the extra visitors. I still think they could have got away with half the fireworks and we'd still have been impressed though!

I was there in Parliment Square myself to see in the year 2000 and tbh it was the crowd and atmosphere that made the 8hrs we spent there special rather than the 15/20mins of fireworks.

Hope everyone has renjoyed celebrating in their own way though - Happy New Year!

Agent, no I dont think there was as much 'fuss' pre 2000.

No way were they only £52k though! I think my local authorities 5th nov display costs something in the region of £250k! and that is piddly in comparison.

Ali I like your twitter friends comment!

Visitors will bring in revenue but that goes to businesses not back into the pot that paid for the fireworks.

I think it is obscene austerity my arse!

I thought those fireworks were fantastic. The music was brilliant and the sound bytes from seb Coe etc were inspired. Loved the "mind the gap" bit when it all stopped then started again.

It was the final flourish to a magnificent year for London and the UK. I think we've showed the whole world a series of events that no where else can match. Never mind the Sydney Opera house, the setting last night is the most iconic location anywhere. It said we're British, we're proud and we know how to throw a party.

All this talk or austerity- do you think the right message to send out to the world is we're skint as a nation, heavily in debt and the Olympics have cost a bomb so we're just having a few bangers and a damp squid? They didn't put that display on for the thousands lining the Thames, they put it on to say to the world"come to London, the Olympics might be over but it's still cool, it's still happening and London is the place to visit! "

So whether it cost £50 k or £1m, you couldn't buy worldwide advertising and that sort of positive publicity for that.

Bread and circuses.

I thought they were brilliant and a good toast to what was after all an absolutely fantastic summer. As others have said it sends out a message to the rest of the world of 'don't give up on the UK!'
You know, it's good to celebrate being British sometimes.

I want to know if the soundtrack was actually played at the scene or if it was just on the TV broadcast.

this is troubling me.

I think it was cos some people seemed to be dancing.

I would say it was a waste of money based on my hatred of white fireworks-They are just boring, whereas Dubai had a lovely aray of colours and much more effort with placement.

Ours, lets face it, big but boring and unispired, all over the place and colourless....and yes at times like this money could be better spent on other things!

Needless, wasteless and makes me sick to see so much money go down the drain in such a short amount of time. Not to mention the poor animals that suffer because of the bloody things.

Champagne on the other hand, is definetly not a waste of money, especially the cheaper stuff

I watched the Edinburgh ones on the TV last night, they were brilliant.
Edinburgh has three days of events for NY and it attracts loads of tourists, when I used to go to the street party, everybody was a visitor.
I'm sure it makes a profit.

pumpkin I disagree about the fireworks but totally agree about the champagne!

Maybe it's because I'd had so much of it by midnight that I thought the fireworks were so good?

Fireworks bore me and scare the crap out of DS so a tenner would be too much for me, but I appreciate I am probably not representative.

Bah humbug!
I thought they were great.

They were bloody fantastic!

£52k though?! No way - at least a million IMO

It was brilliant and the BBC TV coverage was amazing. Certainly made my NY memorable and I'm sure many others too.

The BBC budget must have contributed?