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 ❤️🎄

You know your child but sounds like hell to me and I'm not autistic. Id have thought watching it on TV would work better. Is there a local bonfire one which will be less packed that the London one.

OP, you could look online for videos of fireworks

Oban 2011 the whole display went off at once. Brief but spectacular https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/video/2011/nov/07/oban-fireworks-display-video

As PPs have said take your daughter to a local fireworks display on bonfire night - it will be much earlier in the evening for a start, with manageable crowds.

A few years back I took my grandchildren to a matinee performance at the National Theatre on NYE - well that was a mistake! We left the theatre around 18.00 and my naive plan was to eat at one the many restaurants on the south bank then head over Hungerford Bridge to the Tube.

All the restaurants were closed as were Hungerford & Westminster bridges in preparation for the fireworks, and the area already heaving with people. Along with everyone else we were re-directed to Waterloo Station which is close so not a major problem - I was just surprised at the crowds and the early closing of everything!

It's a lovely idea but I just don't think it's doable with a 5 year old, autistic or not.

Indeed.

I was opposite the London eye and trying to get into the section was a nightmare, so many crowds and no clear direction for "only ticket holders this way"

As 2 45-50 year olds we pushed through and it took 30-45 mins of that to get to the barriers. 8it was unpleasant.

We got to watch from higher up as people pushed through barriers blocking off a police building so we were on their entrance way. Then took an hour to wait to leave and walk to nearest open tube (Pimlico)

I'd not do it again. It was horrible compared to my Waterloo bridge ticket a few years before and had put me off the whole thing.

This is a nice idea, it'd be ongoing fun for her plus I can talk about different countries x

These stories have definitely swayed me in the right direction, it's shocking that in such recent times it's so dangerous x

Thank you, defo agree x

Definitely, just going to plain avoid the idea for a decade tbh, it sounds so badly managed as well x

How much evidence do you really have that your 5yo loves fireworks?

Watching them on TV from the security of your own home is a world away from central London, mid-winter, at midnight. And if she has a blanket over her head, she wouldn't see them anyway. I wouldn't touch this idea with a barge pole.

Try a local firework show in November and see how she reacts. They're over by 9pm, and you're close to home in case she ends up hating it.

There is the British fireworks championship in Plymouth every August.

www.britishfireworks.co.uk/the-british-firework-championships/video-archive

I have not been but summer would be better temperature.
They also stream it

Hope you can enjoy the fireworks on tv, and glad that others told you of their experiences which was considerate of them.

The accessible area opposite Houses of Parliament isn't that busy and is well segregated from the busy/ more public areas.

Getting in and out of central London is really hard though with curfews going up hours in advance and the crowds taking ages to dissipate afterwards.

I tried to cycle home 2 years ago at around 03:30 and it was still really busy with loads of drunks. I felt quite unsafe and was worried someone would try to push me off my bike so ended up just walking.

I would baulk at doing this with a five year old and I think the tube is horrible after the fireworks end.

Oh god no, Central London is horrible on NYE and if you have tickets for the fireworks they essentially kettle you for hours beforehand.

It is worth looking at local forums or Facebook groups for areas that have high oarks or commons as lots of people gather in higher areas of London for infrmal gatherings to watch the foreworks - I am in SE London and there is a regular meet up at a particularly high point on NYE to see the fireworks.

@MumOfOneAllAlone you sound so lovely, I perfectly understand that intense feeling of wanting to show our children something we know they would love, but the reality/planning for our differences just takes it out of our reach... That's really frustrating.

I really wouldn't do this one though, not with any of my ND kids (who are older). There will most likely be drunk pushy unsympathetic people shoving about everywhere, she might not like it, there might be difficulty finding a toilet, it might be bad weather. She might not be able to see much from low down. If she feels overwhelmed it would be a herculean task trying to get free of the crowds and get home.

She's so young too, she might not even remember the event if you did go. You're very thoughtful making the effort to check on here with people if it's a good idea or not though. As an ND mum it's so painful to see choices that other people can make easily, become difficult and fraught with indicators of how different our management of our kids and their emotional regulation has to be. It's bloody hard work, and I feel you, but I do think it's probably kindest to you both to sit this one out ❤️ ❤️

I love fireworks but I wouldn’t even take my 60 self to the fireworks in London. Your daughter is very young and that alone would be enough of a reason for me not to take her. By New Year’s Day she’ll be oblivious to what she’s missed.

Thank you, i agree, I've done a complete 180 and will not be attempting it, purely thanks to the kind advice on here x

Thank you, completely agree, it'll be us at home with some shloer then outside with some sparklers to watch the fireworks that we can see from home x

Thank you so much 🥺 - you completely understand me, I just want to give her amazing memories as christmas is my fave time of year. Completely agree, there's way too many things that are likely to go wrong and the thought of not being able to get her out of there due to the crowds is horrible.

It'll be us at home with some shloer and then outside/open the windows to see the fireworks thst we can see from our house 🤭. I'm also, thanks to some of the responses, gonna bake a cake with her, get some sparklers in carrots, get cosy in bed with jools Holland xx

Thank you, I'm searching out some local bonfire nights for her to see how she copes x

This was my thinking about the accessible area. But there's so many other variables, like you say with crowds and trying to leave etc which mean its a non starter.

So sorry to hear your experience, think you made the right decision re walking as it just takes one drunk person to harm you.

We'll be at home, hopefully she'll still enjoy x

We have been every year since DD1 was 5/6 she is autistic and now 10. She loves it but only you know your daughter in terms of not taking children like others have said it’s fine !

I found the fireworks underwhelming up close, much better from further away. But with kids you're better off with kew or something less manic

Sparklers in the garden sound lovely, OP. If you were nervous about holding them you could stick them into the grass/flower pots and admire from a bit further away.

DD is a solo child, now a teen, and she loves the traditions we've invented over the years.

@MumOfOneAllAlone sorry for the random post but I just saw this and immediately thought of you and this thread, so I thought I'd share it (apologies if it's nowhere near you, and it's Halloween not new years eve, but I thought it was worth sharing just in case it was a quieter and easier event for you to attend with your DD) ❤️❤️

www.halloweenfunday.com