Ice skating at Kew Gardens © RBG Kew
Things to do in the day on New Year's Eve 2008
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By Time Out editors
Posted: Tue Nov 25 2008 -
New Year's Eve is not just about night-time antics. There's plenty of fun to be had during the daylight hours too
New Year's Eve Clubs | Fireworks | Comedy & Cabaret | Gigs | During the day
Exhibitions
Inject some culture into your holiday and hotfoot it to one of these major exhibitions which are helpfully staying open on the last day of the year. There's the ever-popular Doctor Who show at Earl's Court, the dazzling light displays of the Christmas Delight spectacular in Covent Garden and the awe-inspiring images on display at 'Take a View', which shows the best entries in this year's Landscape Photographer of the Year Award. There's also a chance to catch up on the blockbuster shows of 2008 including 'Cold War Modern' at the V&A, 'For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond' at the Imperial War Museum, 'Darwin' at the Natural History Museum, 'Babylon' at the British Museum, 'Design Cities' at the Design Museum and the Russian spectacular 'The Magnificence of the Tsars' also at the V&A.
See more London exhibitions open on New Year's Eve
Ice skating
What could be better than welcoming the new year with a wet bum and bruised pride? Londoners seem to love the ritual embarrassment of shuffling round one of the capital's picturesque temporary ice rinks. Glide, or stumble, through some leafy foliage at Kew Gardens, glug mulled wine at Somerset House, have a spooky skate at the Tower of London or splash out on a family session at Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland.
See more London ice rinksFamily outings
Keep the kids entertained in the run up to the big night with a top festive show such as 'Edward Scissorhands', 'Hansel and Gretel' or 'The Gruffalo'.Or tire them out with a bout of 'it's behind you' at a more traditional panto such as 'Cinderella' starring Joanna Page and Gareth Gates (yes, really) or 'Peter Pan' with the imperious Brian Blessed as Captain Hook. There are also family fun days at various major museums and attractions including The National Gallery, the dinosaur park at Crystal Palace, Kew Gardens and the London Brass Rubbing Centre.
See more ideas for New Year's Eve family outings
Walks
OK, so this is not strictly a daytime activity but it's still pre-midnight, and the chances of you staying awake much past the witching hour once you've finished this epic New Year's Eve Pub Walk are minimal. It combines a dose of historical banter with a festive drink or three.
See detailsNew Year's Eve Clubs | Fireworks | Comedy & Cabaret | Gigs | During the day
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2 comments
You can go down to the Thames for one of the best views of the fireworks. I did it last year but be aware that there were loads of people. There are large lighted traffic signs that will let you know what parts of the city are closed off as once an area becomes overly crowded, they won't allow any more pedestrian traffic down certain streets. In the end we watched the fireworks near the Houses of Parliament and had a decent view of the Eye as well but it's not for the faint of heart. It's cold near the water, and there were some scuffles between kids throwing bottles. This year I'm being locked in at our local pub.
As I am coming from outa of town for new years eve, Ive scanned the web pages to see where everybody congregates , I thought it was trafalga square, but ive drawn a blank there, so where is it, I know the firework display is along the thames near the eye, but any other info would be appreciated.
derek