Olympic  Year                                     Events    
                                      


Jack Morton took over London on New Year’s Eve with an audiovisual explosion to see in 2008, observes Bethany Hutton-Stigge. 03-01-08

The event took place over the River Thames and British Airways London Eye and was seen by crowds numbering hundreds of thousands in central London and millions more on BBC 1.

This year’s celebration, introduced the year of the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games with the baton being passed to London as the next host city. The event reflected this theme and, combined monumental photographic projections of "An Olympic Year" with spectacular fireworks. Jack Morton worked closely with internationally renowned pyrotechnician Christophe Berthonneau and lighting designer Durham Marenghi to create the spectacular display.

This is the fourth such New Year’s spectacle that Jack Morton has produced for the Mayor of London in conjunction with Visit London The event was honoured most recently as "Public Event of the Year 2006" at the Eventia UK Awards (click here) and also won the Event Gold Award for "Best Celebration Event" in 2005.


“This has been another very successful event for London and the multi-agency team that work very hard to make it happen," Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London. "We are very pleased to have continued our partnership with Jack Morton for the fourth consecutive year.”


This year, the crowd was entertained by BBC Radio 1’s DJs Rob da Bank and Gilles Peterson, created a pre-recorded soundtrack featuring exclusive mixes played along the Embankment culminating in a countdown to midnight which also featured a London river tug boat rigged with 20 flame generators.

The anticipated numbers saw Jack Morton working with the Metropolitan Police, Westminster City and Lambeth Borough Councils and Transport for London, among others, to deliver a safe and enjoyable event.

Lois Jacobs, President International at Jack Morton Worldwide said: “We are delighted to have entertained London once again with this wonderful display that is now so much part of the capital’s celebrations. It is an honour to be a part of this truly iconic event at such an exciting time for the capital and the country.”



RK