London's New Year's Day parade shrugs off rain

Published on 02/01/2017 - 08:06

Despite heavy rain at times London's New Year's Day parade brought some glitz and glamour to the streets of the capital.

Typical British weather didn’t dampen the spirits for London’s annual New Year’s Day parade, the city greeting 2017 in traditionally raucous style.

Braving the rain #Cheerleaders #LNYDP Lnydp</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LondonIsLovinIt?src=hash">#LondonIsLovinIt</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BloggerBees">BloggerBees IbShuggy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/London?src=hash">#London</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NewYearsDayParade?src=hash">#NewYearsDayParade</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/londranewsblog">londranewsblog pic.twitter.com/fqJe5M76qd
— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) January 1, 2017

Musicians and entertainers from around the world, some 8,500 of them, paraded from Green Park tube station to Parliament Square.

The event is used to raise funds for charities in London and with 50,000 spectators and a total audience of half a million it is described as the biggest New Year’s street event of its kind in the world.

Young people and staff from childrens hospice StChrisHospice</a> in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sydenham?src=hash">#Sydenham</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Lnydp">Lnydp . pic.twitter.com/4cEKYhaNLm
— Ayshea Buksh (@AysheaBuksh) January 1, 2017

All of London’s 32 boroughs send teams of performers, but the parade also honours people from each who have been heroic in some way during the previous year.

Pakistan Segment receives huge applause at #LNYDP
World has seen the beautiful face of #Pakistan today : Syed Ibne Abbas pic.twitter.com/pPiK6EWAu9
— Pakistan Mission UK (@phclondon) January 1, 2017

“Lights, Camera, Action” was this year’s theme, so film and TV series costumes were to the fore. Pakistani artistes celebrated the 70th anniversary of their state, and the marching band of Fort Myers High School brought some Florida sunshine to The Smoke.