Where to spend New Year’s Eve: London’s very best events
From boozy dinners to DJs and where to catch the fireworks, Larissa Steel has ten ideas for you this New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve feels like a far-off thought – but the capital’s best events are booking up ahead of Christmas, so now’s the time to secure tickets. Here are some of the very best knees-ups in London this 31 January.
Som Saa
Som Saa started off as a series of pop ups and has developed into a well established Thai restaurant with a cult following. Their varied menu celebrates regional classics and has been taking Londoners beyond Pad Thai and deep into the country’s culinary culture for almost 10 years. The Shoreditch based restaurant has reopened after six months with a festive menu that owners hope will help re-establish their reputation as the best of the best when it comes to Thai food.
Som Saa will be serving a three course festive menu to share family style with your loved ones – starting with a spiced cocktail and smoked sirloin, followed by tiger prawn curry, and ending with their salted palm sugar ice cream.
l£50; from 4 – 10:30pm; somsaa.com
Galvin La Chapelle
Run by brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin, Galvin La Chapelle is located in a spectacular Grade II listed former Victorian school, with stone columns, high ceilings and arched windows. The restaurant has held a Michelin star since 2011, with a 20 year legacy of serving modern French and Mediterranean cuisine. La Chapelle recently won our Toast the City Award for best restaurant in the Square Mile: get a flavour this New Year’s Eve with La Chapelle’s six-course tasting menu, with Orkney scallops, roast Dedham Valley beef, Cornish seabass, pumpkin risotto and tarte tatin.
l£235; from 8:30 – 1am; galvinrestaurants.com
KOKO – KOKO Electronic:
NYE – Dimitri From Paris
Koko is a historic Grade II listed Victorian venue in the heart of Camden that first welcomed punters in 1900. It originally operated as a theatre but from the 1970s became Camden Palace, a cultural hotspot for revolutionary new music. Since its transformation in 2004, Koko has lent its stage to legendary artists including Prince, The Rolling Stones and Amy Winehouse.
For your last big night out of 2025, veteran electronic DJ Dimitri From Paris, renowned for his remixes of Sister Sledge and Björk, returns to the stage with his lauded blend of house, funk and disco. Get ready to dance all night long.
l£73.25; from 10 – 3am; koko.co.uk/kokoelectronic
Defected NYE at O2 Academy Brixton
London based label Defected will be taking over the O2 Academy Brixton for a house music New Year’s Eve celebration. Defected has a 25 year legacy of collaborating with house DJs from all around the world. The label will be hosting high energy local and international DJs from countries including Germany and the Netherlands; expect seven different selectors spinning everything from bass heavy tech-house, to hypnotic melodies and gospel inspired house.
l£69.45; from 9–3am; academymusicgroup.com/o2academybrixton
The Ned
The Ned is hosting an annual Black Tie Blowout, where they will be featuring aerialists, performers, live bands and a secret headline act – a slot which Nicole Scherzinger has previously played. The event includes unlimited canapes, lobsters, oysters, roasted meats and more, paired with a free flow of drinks throughout the night.
For a more intimate option, The Parlour at The Ned will also be hosting a New Year’s event with live jazz by award winning performance group Black Cat Cabaret, served with a six-course meal featuring oysters, wagyu and of course a complementary glass of champagne.
lThe Parlour £250, Black Tie Party £395; from 8 – 2am; thened.com
Aram at Somerset House
Somerset House restaurant Aram serves comfort food inspired by Eastern Mediterranean flavours and regional Syrian dishes. Chef and restaurateur Imad Alarnab was an owner of several successful restaurants in Syria before they were destroyed during the Syrian Civil War. Alarnab fled Syria and settled in London in 2015, eventually finding success serving food at charity supper clubs and pop up events across the city.
His Somerset residency is a new cafe which carries a similar philosophy as his Soho restaurant, Imad’s Syrian Kitchen, hosting events to support refugee charities while celebrating Middle Eastern cuisine.
Aram’s New Year’s set menu includes a selection of mezze, main courses, pistachio baklawa and a choice of drinks. Aside from Middle Eastern flavours, Somerset House’s courtyard will be open with one of the most iconic settings for ice skating, pop up bars with perfect views of the fireworks from their river terrace.
l£100; from 7:30 – 2am; somersethouse.org.uk
Joia
For a New Year’s Eve dinner with fireworks included, Joia at Battersea Power Station will place you 15 floors up with a perfect view from their floor to ceiling windows. From 8:30pm, you’ll be sat down with a six-course tasting menu of Portuguese tapas, and when you’re ready, you can head to their adjoining bar for more cocktails, live music and stay for the countdown.
If you’ve already got dinner plans, you can opt for the £150 tickets, which include access to their bar to catch the countdown, with canapes and a complementary glass of champagne in hand. Joia’s separate rooftop bar has clear view of the Thames paired with live DJs and a crisp sound system – access to their rooftop event must be purchased with a dinner or bar ticket and will cost an additional £50.
lBar tickets £150, six-course dinner including bar access will cost £325pp; from 8:30 – 3am ; joiabattersea.com
CÉ LA VI London
Aluna Space is on the 18th floor of Paddington Square at the Cé La Vi restaurant. From that height you’ll get front row seats to the fireworks. Enjoy champagne on arrival from 10pm, accompanied by electronic DJ collective Konflict, and guest DJs Antares and Auric with their bold, hypnotic sound. The restaurant will also be hosting a lounge experience on the 17th floor, with jazz and champagne. Both include Asian cuisine set menus.
lKONFLICT X CÉ LA VI are £150; Experiences range from £150 to £475pp; from 8 – 3am; ldn.celavi.com
Brasserie Zedel
For 1920s charm, Brasserie Zedel is hosting a Parisian cabaret celebration in their grand dining room with its golden columns and marble walls. The Grade II listed building was originally a part of the largest hotel in Europe, opened in 1915.
Dinner will be served from their a la carte menu; the restaurant is known for classic French dishes such as French onion soup, sirloin steak with frites and Crème Brûlée. On the big night, there will be performances from a live swing and jazz band, flapper girls, burlesque, and you can expect a bit of Can-Can dancing.
l£98; from 9 – 12am; brasseriezedel.com
Fireworks for free
If you’re willing to brave the cold this New Year’s Eve but don’t want to deal with the hordes, Parliament Hill in Hampstead Heath and Telegraph Hill or Point Hill in Deptford offer excellent viewpoints that will get you a panoramic fireworks experience.
Make sure that you wear an extra few layers because you’ll still need to arrive early to get a good spot. Central London will be heaving with thousands of people – viewing pens around Westminster, South Bank and Embankment will open at 8pm and close at 10:30, bridge and road closures will start from 2pm, and although tube service will continue late into the night, stations will likely be made exit only for crowd control.