What to Wear to New Year's Eve in London

Packing philosophy

Dress for the riverbank, then for the party. London's fireworks are ticketed: the viewing areas along Victoria Embankment admit ticket holders from 8pm to 10:30pm, and the display starts at midnight. That is up to four hours standing by the Thames. The Met Office's Heathrow averages give December 8.8°C by day and 3.1°C at night, with 57mm of rain over 11 days, and the river adds wind to both. Most people go on to a party or a pub, and that shapes the capsule. A knee-length wool coat does the standing. Under it goes something you want to be seen in at 12:01, gold lurex or a velvet jacket. Lined lug boots cover the stone and the long walk out with the crowd.

What the dress code actually is

There is no dress code on the Embankment, only the ticket conditions. The Mayor of London's event runs ticketed viewing areas along the river, with entry between 8pm and 10:30pm, and Visit London's listing says small bags only, with no backpacks. Arrive with the ticket on your phone and your ID, and expect a search. After midnight a crowd this size leaves on foot, so the dress question is really a walking question: wear boots you can cover a few kilometres in. Inside a pub or a house party afterwards London dresses up for the night, and gold, velvet and sequins are all on the menu. Check City Hall's page in November for the 2026 ticket release and entry gates.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Bottle-green double-faced wool coat, knee length

   Four hours on the Embankment at 3°C / 37°F asks for a coat that covers your knees, and wool keeps its heat in drizzle. Bottle green is darker than it sounds under street lights and brighter than black under fireworks. It opens at midnight to show what is underneath.

2. 
   02

   Antique-gold lurex fine-knit top, long sleeves

   A knit is warm under a coat where a sequin top is not, and lurex gives you the gold. It works on the riverbank with the coat buttoned and in the pub afterwards on its own. Long sleeves count at 3°C, and a fine gauge fits under the coat without bulk.

3. 
   03

   Black high-waisted wide-leg trousers

   A skirt on a riverbank at 3°C is a cold four hours. Wide black trousers take thermal leggings underneath and still look like a party from the knee up. The wide leg falls over the boot so the outfit reads as one line.

4. 
   04

   Black leather lace-up ankle boots, shearling collar, lug sole

   The Embankment is stone, it rains on 11 December days, and after midnight you walk out with the whole crowd. A lug sole grips wet paving and a lined collar keeps the heat in while you stand. Black leather goes with gold and wipes dry.

5. 
   05

   Small dark-green leather flap crossbody, gold clasp

   Visit London's listing allows small bags only, and no backpacks. A flap crossbody holds a phone with the ticket, a card and ID, and it sits in front of you in a crowd leaving by the thousand. Dark green with a gold clasp matches the coat and the knit.

6. 
   06

   Warm-gold sequin beret

   One piece of sparkle stays on outside the coat, and this is it. A beret covers the top of your head in drizzle and does not flatten your hair for the party afterwards. Gold sequins pick up every burst of the fireworks.

7. 
   07

   Men's bottle-green velvet dinner jacket, satin peak lapels

   The menswear version of dressing up for midnight. Velvet is warmer than a wool suit jacket and reads as a party without a tie. It fits under a long overcoat for the riverbank, and bottle green says you meant it.

A suggested look — bottle-green knee-length wool coat, antique-gold lurex knit, black wide-leg trousers, black lug-sole ankle boots, gold sequin beret.

What to avoid

• A backpack — small bags only
• An umbrella in the crowd
• Heels on stone, then a long walk out
• Arriving after 10:30pm — entry closes
• A sequin top under a thin jacket at 3°C