Londons New Years Eve Fireworks .. advice please

[kooksi]

Has anyone one been? Would I be ok going with a 9 & 10 year old, just me (only adult) ..

Also New Years Day parade .. any good?

Would love to hear from people who have done it .. Thank you

It is heavily policed and controlled, I think from last year tickets are needed to stand on the bridges and in the main enclosures along the embankment, but I might be wrong!

Portaloo's are provided.

Public transport was free the year we went (2013) which annoyed me as I booked and paid for train fares in advance! That said the journey home (to relatives in Richmond) was horrendous. Took hours.

Kids loved it though and would go again!

why London?? we have been to Looe a couple of times for New years eve fireworks and it is just a brilliant atmosphere. really family friendly, fancy dress in the streets, fireworks off the beach then we went on the new years day swim which our (then ) pre-teens absolutely loved.

I went last year with DS, 11 years old. It was safe and the free tube back home was OK. However, I would not go back. We arrived at about 8 pm, thinking that there would be plenty to do and keep us entertained. We were north of the river and there NOTHING to do. We queued 90 minutes to get a bit chocolate. No alcohol sold, so I entered the new year without even a glass of wine. You could bring your own but you could not buy there. We were bored senseless but the excitement of seeing the fireworks kept us going. Once they started, we were so feed up that I could not wait for them to finish and leave. Sad, I know...

I can't imagine anything worse than standing for several hours in a huge crowd of people, being jostled about, in the cold and possibly awful weather to wait for a few minutes of fireworks.

I watch the London NYE fireworks on TV in the warm, with a glass of wine in my hand and no queue for the loo.