To take my 5 year old autistic daughter to the NYE London fireworks?

[MumOfOneAllAlone]

Hi everyone

I'm posting as I need really some advice. I'm an east londoner but I've never been to the NYE fireworks.

It's just my daughter and I, and she LOVES the NYE fireworks which we watch from home.

Tickets are £20 each and are released on my payday.

She is a very sweet girl who has autism so is pre verbal. I'd take her in her buggy and would go to the accessible area. She'd have ear defenders, a big coat, blanket and her tablet.

Has anyone done this? I imagine it'd be packed but is it out of the question considering her autism? And her age?

She doesn't love crowds but will be okay in her buggy with her blanket over her head (she always does this). We could take the tube close to home and then I'd pay surge price for an uber so we don't have to walk home in the dark.

I hope I don't sound like a bad mum. She really will love the fireworks and it could be a great memory for her. But if it's gonna be too much bother, I'd keep her home.

TIA ❤️🎄

Please be kind, I'm fragile 😅. Also, alternative suggestions are very welcome xx

I wouldn’t to be honest. My two autistic struggled with the evening light show at Disney. Eventually went to sleep in the pushchair. Wouldn’t enjoy London at all.

Only you know your child. But the the vast majority of those with autism I know it would be their idea of hell.

if she doesn’t like crowds then personally I think you would be mad to do it!

And I’d imagine getting an Uber even at inflated prices will be pretty much impossible.

Has she been to Bonfire Night fireworks? I'd look for a really good bonfire night display closer to home, which won't be at midnight.

The official website strongly recommends not bringing young children.

I've only been on the millennium and imagine it's more controlled.now they charge, but it was absolutely packed. If she isn't great with crowds I can't think of anything worse to take her to - so busy bit also so much sensory overload on general.
Are there any smaller local ones you could do instead?

I wouldn't. My children are 9 & 11 NT and no way would I take them.

I would just do a local display in November.

I've been to the New year fireworks before, but not with kids. It is very crowded with a lot of waiting around. You know your daughter better than anyone and if she'll be able to handle it. It's a long night and took ages to get out of the crowds when it finished. I wouldn't rely on an uber though, I'd imagine it would be impossible to get one, not without a very long wait at least. Remember there'll be thousands and thousands of people all leaving the area at the same time. It took us an hour just to do the short walk to the tube station.

I think you should plan on the basis you can't get an uber. Even with surge pricing it's almost impossible to get an uber after these types of events

I wouldn’t personally with my DS, it’s late, crowded, and a pressured situation that you can’t easily get her out of if it’s too overwhelming.

Central London on New Year's Eve is bonkers. I wouldn't take a child. The crowds are immense and the tube stations will be rammed.

She probably won't see nearly as much as she could watching it on the TV. She'll be low down.
Also it will become very hard to leave if she decides she doesn't like it.
Stay home. Watch on the telly.

I wouldn't. It is so busy and crowded and possibly freezing or rainy...you may have difficulty getting home, she will be tired at that time...I would save it for when she's older.

Honestly I wouldn't, Christmas time is overwhelming as it is. Add on to that a late night. Loud music. Crowds. Loud fireworks. Would be hell for DD and she has very low support needs and can communicate her needs and when she wants to go.

Wake her up at 11:50 and watch it together on the TV, you'll have a better view (unless Sky cock it up again and miss them 😆) and then watch the local ones out the window.

It's been a few years since I left London, so things might have changed, but the central tube stations used to close from quite early on til after midnight. Also, the crowds are something else - you're basically forced to go with the flow, especially if you've got a buggy and can't weave through. You'd be incredibly lucky to get a Uber. I can't comment on your daughter's resilience as all children are different, but I found it stressful as an adult who doesn't like crowds.

TBH I wouldn't. I think it would be really hard to see from a buggy and could be quite frightening to be in the crowds in any city.

I'd look for a local bonfire night display instead, more child friendly, better time and less busy.

Sorry, I get your trying to do something you think she'd like but maybe in a few years.

If she loves it at home, I’d stick with that and maybe find some ways to make it even more special and start creating some regular rituals around it that you can do in future - eg listening to special songs, drinks, special light up cups etc, beforehand. Sorry if this is something you already do.

from my experience of new year fireworks, they are more hectic than you think. And if you can’t get away via Uber/tube it could be tricky.

i have a child with some mild additional needs and sensory sensitivity. I’m sure it’s not the same but I know I wrestle sometimes with whether to push the boat out and try for something ambitious a make memories, but which may be a strain/disaster, vs just sticking to more homely/familiar/safe spaces. It’s tricky.

If you do, pray that it's better organised than last year. I bought a ticket as soon as they went on sale, looked forward to it for weeks and when I got there on the night it was pandemonium - nobody knew which queue was which, there were no proper signs and no crowd control, and it was just thousands of people all milling about in different directions on the Strand.

I gave up and went home after an hour or so when it became clear I wasn't going to get anywhere near the area I'd booked (Waterloo Bridge); I'm glad I did because apparently it got quite ugly once it got closer to midnight and people realised they weren't going to get in in time. I walked home because it was bloody chaos and I was still back by 10pm.

I don't want to put you off, but if you do go I'd suggest getting there very, very early. I arrived just before 8pm and it was bedlam by then.

Find a 5 November event see how that goes eg battersea or ally pally

Gosh no! I was about 18/19 when I went, not autistic and it was absolute hell. It's far better on TV. It took us about 2 hours to get home too, normally a 20 min journey. I thought it would be magical but it was anything but.

You sound like a great mum for considering this for your daughter :)

Unfortunately, I wouldn't. DS is the most underwhelmed kid ever, never gets overstimulated, loves big crowds and has an insane social battery... and the fireworks were too much for him. Don't forget the tubes afterwards will be PACKED as well, not 'normal' packed but NYE packed, including lots of drunk, loud people.

Same and the waiting for it to start set mine off and we left before they began. I don't think there are many worse situations to be in than stuck somewhere cold and busy with a young autistic child in a buggy kicking off and overwhelmed.

I've been late to a party and done the district line through east london at midnight and that was lovely and quiet with loads of fireworks going off at every side of the train and strangers hugging each other. Could you find somewhere high up in East London to watch fireworks with her, as there'll be fireworks everywhere?

Lots of good advice here.

@MumOfOneAllAlone You seem like a lovely mother!

I really really wouldn't. I've been once and never ever again. The crowds will be awful, navigating a buggy through that and trying to get transport home? No way.

Whilst I can absolutely understand why you want to do this with your daughter my advice (as the parent of an autistic child) would be to leave it for a few years. She's very young and she loves watching the fireworks on the telly, so watch them on the telly where she's got the security of her own home.

Perhaps if there's a smaller, more manageable firework display near home for Bonfire Night you could give that a go, but you may find the stress of the crowds is greater than her pleasure in the fireworks.