The celebrations will begin at noon, with spectator and participatory events, including a street festival, funfairs and dancing. At 7pm the celebrations will climax with a fireworks display created by the company responsible for the closing ceremony at this year’s Olympics in Sydney. The display will utilise the expertise of eight of Britain’s best fireworks companies and will be computer choreographed to a soundtrack broadcast on Capital FM.

The main theme running through the day will be ‘Ringing the Changes’ and organisers are keen to encourage London wide involvement. During the next three months schools, community and arts groups will be invited to take part in workshops and activities, reflecting all aspects of London's diverse population and the uniqueness of London in the year 2000. These will include:

Ringing the Changes
A symbolic pan-London musical piece by leading avant-garde composer David Toop, involving live and pre-recorded music based on London’s famous bells, including Big Ben. Ringing the Changes will also feature the skills of London’s church bell-ringers and especially created visuals, to be seen from different locations around London.

The Meridian Clock
A fully operational giant timepiece, the Meridian Clock will incorporate artistic contributions by members of the public, in particular school children, whose self-portraits will become part of this “most unusual clock”. The Meridian Clock will be erected in central London in time for New Year’s Eve.

The Electronic Stage and the London Ear
A visual and audio installation utilising giant screens and sound towers at various sites throughout London. These will offer music and a mixture of live and recorded visuals from the past year and celebrations at the event itself.

Tintinnabula
Referring to the ringing sound made by a bell, this large-scale visual installation will resonate with contributions by and about the lives of Londoners.

Dancing in the Streets
From VE Day, the Festival of Britain and New Year's Eve 1999, dancing has always been used to celebrate new beginnings. Musicians and performers will be playing music that will appeal to dancers of all ages and backgrounds, from Tea Dancing to Salsa, and Linedancing to Latin.

Organisers believe having a variety of activities taking place at various locations throughout the day - and fireworks visible from Hampstead to Crystal Palace and Canary Wharf to Battersea - will enable people, especially families with children, to enjoy the celebrations nearer to where they live and to get home safely.

As previously reported, Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, has contracted Bob Geldof and the 10Alps consortium to create a day of celebrations that will bring together Londoners of all ages and backgrounds. London has received £1.5m as one of the 32 cities and towns, which have received support for New Year’s Eve from the Millennium Commission, and is benefiting from the support of a number of sponsors, in addition to principal sponsor, Yahoo.co.uk.

Speaking about arrangements for New Year’s Eve, Ken Livingstone says:
"New Year’s Eve 2000 has been planned with safety and transport constraints in mind and we have consulted with the emergency and transport services and other agencies. By putting on a series of events spread across the city we are offering Londoners more choice on New Year’s Eve, including a fireworks display that people will be able to see much closer to home."

Bob Geldof, speaking on behalf of 10Alps, says:
"One of the aims of this year’s News Year’s Eve will be to celebrate London as one of the world’s great cities in all its tremendous multi-faceted diversity and we want to involve as many people as possible. With so much going on throughout the day we are very confident that we can create some of the most stunning images in the city’s history."

Further details of specific activities and how people can get involved will appear local press in the coming weeks and up to New Year’s Eve.

Notes to Editors:
10Alps, the consortium headed by Bob Geldof, beat four other organisations to secure the contract to organise this year’s New Year’s Eve celebrations on behalf of the Greater London Authority.

Funding for the event includes sponsorship given by Yahoo! UK & Ireland and other sponsors, and a £1.5m lottery grant from the Millennium Commission.

For further details please ring the GLA press office on 020 7983 4071/4754 or 020 7983 4070 for out of hours and general enquiries.
Enquires can also be made via email to londonnye@yahoo.co.uk.
For non-media enquiries please ring the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.