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 2021/22 celebrations, the show once again took place as a broadcast-only production following the success of the previous year’s format. Rather than gathering crowds along the Thames, the event unfolded across a series of carefully staged London locations, creating a cinematic New Year’s programme for television audiences.

ON THE SLY worked alongside lead creative agency Jack Morton as music directors and soundtrack producers, delivering the music for a show that combined fireworks, lighting, performance and the largest drone display ever seen in the UK.

A central sequence was staged at the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, where hundreds of drones formed aerial choreography above the historic site while fireworks and lighting transformed the surrounding skyline.

Music played a key role in linking the different locations and visual chapters of the broadcast together. The soundtrack combined carefully curated commercial music with spoken word and cultural references, helping guide viewers through a celebration of London’s creativity, resilience and cultural life.

Moments included tributes to British sport, music and the arts, alongside a performance from a West End choir celebrating the return of theatre after an extended period of closures.

Working closely with creative, technical and broadcast teams, ON THE SLY developed a soundtrack that carried the narrative of the show while integrating precisely with drone choreography, lighting design and fireworks across London’s skyline.

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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.