BOROUGHS LINE UP FOR BIGGEST BEST PARADE
New Year Joy and Charity Boost
Boroughs, from across the Capital, are lining up to entertain the World on New Year’s Day – and boost their adopted charities.
London’s New Year’s Day Parade, the treasured turn-of-year tradition, is bursting back, bigger and better than ever having been restricted for the past two years, due to Covid concerns.
The event, now in its fifth decade, is a fun-filled, family fiesta, packed to the gunnels with festive frills and thrills and tons of top talent. And as the cost-of-living crisis cuts deep the parade is absolutely FREE.
Fifteen London boroughs will be represented, with a myriad of entertaining entries, which showcase on the global stage, their uniqueness, cultural diversity, and identity, and which will raise tens of thousands of pounds for mayoral charities.
The event, shown live on television in the UK and around the World, is expected to attract more than 500,000 spectators to the iconic 2-mile route, which runs from Piccadilly to Piccadilly Circus, turns right down Regent St St James, left to Trafalgar Square, and down Whitehall to Parliament Square.
Parade Director Joe Bone said: “Boroughs are the beating heart of London so to have so many to be part of the Greatest Show on Earth is terrific.
“Between us we have created something quite magical and the whole World will be watching. Let’s have a party – and raise a huge sum of money in the process.”
A total prize fund of £45,000 is up for grabs with each borough receiving a minimum of £1,000 plus £15,000 for the first place, £10,000 for second place and £5,000 for third.
Entries will be judged by a panel made up of members of the public, on four main criteria:
Boroughs on Parade:
Barnet – Cultural diversity and talent are moulded in this manifestation which features music and dance
Brent – Dhol2Dhol, drums galore show that you can’t ‘beat’ the borough of Brent
Croydon – the borough will be putting its best foot forward with this dance and music based entry
City of Westminster – ‘Carnival Fantasy’
Ealing – Dance and music will get London on its feet with this culturally diverse entry.
Enfield – it’s getting ‘steamy’ with this Rotary based entry featuring traction engine, racing cars and so much more
Harrow – ‘Harrow Gets The Picture’ celebrating the Kodak connection – say cheese!
Havering – ‘Hav-a-RING’! A Royal Legend a right royal entry celebrating the strong connections with the Royal Family. But will it take the crown?
Hounslow – ‘One Hounslow’ a kaleidoscope of colour and culture fusing music, performance and visual arts
Lambeth – ‘A Melting Pot of World Carnival Cultures’
Merton – Dance, music and a wealth of culture feature in this spectacular entry
Redbridge – Showcasing young talent and that makes the borough so unique
Southwark – ‘Historical Southwark Through the Ages’ – pageant and social history abound
Sutton – ‘Our Happy Place’ – A borough Timeline to the present day from the 1600’s
Waltham Forest – celebrating the rich talent that makes the borough brilliant
The boroughs join billion download band, Toploader is joining London’s New Year’s Day Parade and will be ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’ through the heart of the West End on January 1st.
Among the other pop talent preparing to entertain 500,000 on the streets of the West End of London, and a global audience of many millions, is Scouting for Girls (She’s So Lovely).
They join more than 8,000 performers from all over the World, including the host of London boroughs, for the world-renowned event, which is broadcast live in London and across continents.
Two dozen spectacular marching bands, hundreds of choreographed cheerleaders, stunt riders, giant balloons, pipers, dancers, and stilt walkers, are all part of the mesmeric mix.
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