New Year's Day 2027 in London: the parade, what's open, and the transport reality
New Year's Day in London is a parade through the road closures. The London New Year's Day Parade brings marching bands and floats from Piccadilly to Parliament Square from midday, with the West End closed to traffic; the railway is on a bank-holiday timetable with heavy engineering works; and the first flights of the year leave before the first trains. Here is how the day fits together.
Parade route and timings
The London New Year's Day Parade starts at about 12:00 from Piccadilly (by the Ritz) and runs via Piccadilly Circus, Lower Regent Street, Waterloo Place, Pall Mall, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall to Parliament Square, finishing at about 15:00. It is free to watch from the pavements, with paid grandstand seats around Piccadilly and Whitehall. The route and the streets either side close to traffic from the morning until late afternoon; NYE fireworks clean-up closures on the Embankment can still be in place in the morning. The organisers publish the exact 2027 route and timings in the autumn.
What's open on 1 January
More than on Christmas Day: many attractions, museums and galleries open (some from 11:00 or 12:00), most shops open with sale hours (Oxford Street's central section is pedestrianised this winter, which makes the sales easier on foot — L("oxford-street-pedestrianisation-taxi-drop-off.html", "Oxford Street pedestrianisation and drop-off points")), and pubs and restaurants operate although hotel brunches are booked. Winter Wonderland and Christmas at Kew are open on their final weekend (they close on 3 January). Everything is quieter than a normal Friday until the afternoon.
Rail works on 1 January
New Year's Day is a bank holiday, so trains start late and run a reduced timetable, and it sits inside the Christmas engineering window: the Thameslink core, Paddington and Euston have all had New Year closures in recent years. National Express and the airport coaches run a holiday timetable. The engineering works tracker has the London closures as they are confirmed.
Airports on 1 January
Flights operate normally from 06:00. Heathrow Express and the Elizabeth line start late on a bank holiday and may be affected by Paddington works; Gatwick Express, Stansted Express and Thameslink likewise. A fixed-fare car from central London at 04:00–05:00 is the standard booking for the first flights of the year, often combined with a New Year's Eve pickup. See New Year's Day airport transfers.
Fares
| Journey on 1 January | Saloon (fixed) | MPV (fixed) |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel → parade (drop-off outside closures, e.g. Green Park side) | from £15–£25 | from £22–£34 |
| Central London → Heathrow | from £65 | from £91 |
| Central London → Gatwick | from £89 | from £118 |
| Central London → Stansted | from £134 | from £171 |
| Central London → Luton | from £100 | from £133 |
Illustrative from-prices; exact fixed fare shown before you confirm.
- Quote and book online at any hour — the fare is fixed at the moment you confirm.
- Driver details (name, vehicle, registration, direct mobile) arrive the day before.
- Flight tracking on every airport pickup: if your flight is early or late, the pickup moves with it at no charge, with 60 minutes' free waiting after landing.
- Pay by card when you book. No cash, no meter, no surge.
Frequently asked questions
- What time is the London New Year's Day Parade 2027?
- It has started at about 12:00 from Piccadilly in recent years and reached Parliament Square by mid-afternoon. The 2027 timings are confirmed by the organisers in the autumn.
- Is the Tube running on New Year's Day?
- Yes, on a bank-holiday (Sunday-style) timetable with later first trains. Night Tube runs on the night of 31 December into 1 January only.
- Are shops open on New Year's Day in London?
- Most large shops and shopping centres open, usually from 10:00 or 11:00, with sales continuing.
Book your fixed-fare car
Price confirmed at booking, driver details the day before, flight tracked where relevant. Pay by card online — nothing to settle in the car.