London’s New Year’s Eve Fireworks is one of the world’s most watched annual live events, bringing millions of people together in a shared moment broadcast across the UK and internationally.
For the 2025/26 celebrations, the show centred on a message of unity from the Mayor of London – combining large-scale visuals, spoken contributions and a city-wide soundtrack across the Thames at midnight.
ON THE SLY once again worked alongside lead creative agency Identity as music directors and soundtrack producers alongside Kojo Samuel, delivering the music for Europe’s largest annual firework display.
Music plays a central role in the experience. It sets the pace of the show, supports the narrative and helps transform a vast broadcast spectacle into something that still feels connected and human.
The soundtrack combined carefully curated commercial music with key narrative voice moments and a bespoke countdown piece, forming the creative backbone of the show and integrating precisely with lighting, projection and pyrotechnics across London’s skyline.
Working closely with creative, technical and broadcast teams, ON THE SLY ensured the music supported the wider vision and carried audiences through the story as it unfolded at midnight.
Experience UK’s coverage highlighted our role in shaping the soundtrack for London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks, showing how music can tie narrative, culture and spectacle together in a major global celebration.
ON THE SLY has delivered music direction and soundtrack production for multiple editions of London’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, helping shape one of the world’s most widely watched annual live events.
This project forms part of ON THE SLY’s work creating soundtracks for fireworks and drone shows around the world.
Lead Creative Agency: Identity
Music Direction & Soundtrack: ON THE SLY & Kojo Samuel
Lighting Design: Tim Routledge & Morgan Evans
Hologauze: Pixel Artworks
Fireworks: Titanium Fireworks Ltd
Lighting: Lights Control Rigging (LCR)
PA Sound: Delta Live Show
Safety: CarnDu
Client: Mayor of London’s Office
Broadcast Production: BBC Studios (Events)
Broadcast: BBC One / YouTube
BROADCAST
London, UK
