London Eye lights up the capital's New Year's Eve celebrations

David Quainton, 02 January 2009

The capital's spectacular New Year's Eve celebrations saw an estimated 500,000 brave near-freezing conditions to see a lighting and fireworks extravaganza.

Stage Electrics provided the lighting that saw the London Eye glow at midnight.

It was the fourth time the company has worked on behalf of the Greater London Authority to mark the New Year.

Stage Electrics supplied MAC 2000 Wash moving lights in each of the 32 pods of the London Eye, searchlights on floating pontoons (8 each side) and a wireless DMX control system.

Jack Morton Worldwide won the contract to produce London's New Year's Eve celebrations for the fifth consecutive year. Look out on the Event website for exclusive pictures.

Video was also used for the first time to project giant images onto the 108m high Shell Building on the South Bank of the River Thames for London Mayor Boris Johnson's of 2008-09 New Year's Eve celebrations.

Projectionists E/T/C London created the show with Jack Morton.

"It was another milestone in giant video projection for E/T/C London, and probably the UK's largest New Year video installation to date as well as a great opportunity for us to move the company forward," says E/T/C's Ross Ashton.

Projectors were positioned 150m away from the Shell Tower in a 12 metre tall purpose built structure, together with a complex E/T/C OnlyView® control system that was set up in an adjacent cabin.