London's annual New Year's Day Parade brought a burst of colour and music to the capital as marching bands, dance troupes and pearly kings and queens were among the thousands of participants celebrating the new year.
The parade began in Piccadilly and moved down Regent Street, then on to Pall Mall and Whitehall before finishing at Westminster. Huge inflatables bobbed along the route among an international range of performers including Latin-American dancers and Dhol Drummers.
It was hard to tell who was the more excited, the performers or the crowd, with parade director, Joe Bone, believing that this year's event was set to bring a much-needed lift amid the UK’s economy. "The parade was our gift to London, that was enjoyed by communities across the capital - and around the world.
"We were delighted to see that so many performers who travelled from around the world, in what was the first mass gathering of the parade since Covid.
"It was amazing to be able to gives London this incredible opportunity to showcase itself to the world."
