London’s New Year’s Day Parade 2024: route, order, start time, how to watch - is it on TV?

The West End's streets will soon be awash in giant inflatable balloons, dazzling dragons, and elegant horse-drawn carriages, as the UK capital prepares to usher in 2024 in style.

London's New Year's Day parade has been a global highlight since 1987, with an estimated 500 million people expected to tune in this year either online or on TV worldwide. The ever-popular event is also expected to attract crowds of up to 500,000 people watching in person from the streets.

Recent years have seen performances by Megan McKenna and the Voice UK winner Molly Hocking , a virtual performance by K-Pop group Kaachi during the Covid-19 lockdown, and even a live magic show by Malaysian mentalist Andrew Lee in 2019. The event also donates substantial amounts of money to London-based charities, with organisers estimating they have raised about £2 million over the years.

But what can punters expect to see in 2024's parade, and how can you tune in if you don't live in the capitol? Here's everything you need to know:

What can we expect to see in the New Year's Day parade?

The parade along the capital’s West End will fill the streets with marching bands, cheerleaders, acrobats, and kites. There will be 200 dancers from across Latin America on show, as well as convoys of Aston Martins and Minis, Chinese dragon dancers, 20-foot-tall mega inflatables, and horse-drawn carriages toting VIP guests on display - meaning there truly will be something for everyone.

Headlining the parade this year will be singer Chesney Hawkes, best known for his pop hit The One and Only. Hawkes told Sky News that it will be a "massive" event, with more than 8,000 performers. "I will be performing on a float through the streets of London," he said. "The potential audience worldwide on Tv is about 300 million, so no pressure then."

The star said 2024 was going to be a big year for him, with a new album coming out and lots of touring - with a major performance at the O2 in Kentish Town scheduled with some special surprises for long-time fans.

How can I tune in?

If you'll be in London for the New Year and want to come along in person, the parade will travel down Piccadilly, Regents Street St James’s, Pall Mall, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall. Ticket holders are advised to arrive from 11am, but there will be free standing for the general public.

It will also be streamed live on the London New Year's Day Parade's official homepage, which can be found here, from midday. If you'd prefer to watch on TV, London Live, Free View 8, Sky 117 & Virgin 159 will all broadcast the parade too.

In the US, hundreds of PBS stations are planning to show the entire event live, whilst others will show it later in the day. If you are American, you can enter your zip code here for details of your local TV coverage.