New Year’s Eve in the Park to shine light on local talent

Ring in 2023 this Saturday, December 31 at London’s free New Year’s Eve in the Park celebration. Victoria Park will be the spot to celebrate New Year’s Eve with live music and performances from local artists starting at 7 p.m., outdoor skating, free hot chocolate courtesy of the A Team and two firework displays presented by Drewlo Holdings - one at 9 p.m. followed by another at the stroke of midnight.

About the performers

Forest City London Music Awards All-Star Band

The Forest City London Music Awards All-Star Band is a collection of some of the best local musicians. The band focuses their act on clever renditions of hit songs that everyone can sing and dance to. At New Year’s Eve in the Park, they’ll be performing covers from artists including Avril Lavigne, Elton John and Alannah Myles.

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Forest City London Music Awards Allstar Band

Nameless Friends

Nameless Friends is a group of London rockers with numbers on their chests and hearts on their sleeves. Grand, funny and vulnerable, the band does big songs for big feelings. They have been described as modern glam, prog-punk and metal-adjacent.

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Nameless Friends

Lindsey and The Lonelies

Evocative and stirring, conjuring images of a moon-washed desert, alternative country band Lindsey and The Lonelies explore the depths of depths into desire, death and loss. Smooth yet granular vocals tossed into the night air, fall down a deep canyon only to be echoed back by haunted harmonies and melancholic steel strings.

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Lindsey and the Lonelies

Full Throttle

Full Throttle is a high school pop-punk trio with deep roots in London, Ontario. This year, Full Throttle won the high school battle of the bands at the Forest City London Music Awards and opened for notable Canadian rock heavyweights I Mother Earth and Finger Eleven. Some of Full Throttle’s main influences include Blink 182 and Green Day.

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Full Throttle

The Thinking Caps

The Thinking Caps is a family-friendly rock band who are interactive, clever and wildly entertaining. Vocalist Jay Rutherford originally came up with the idea for the band after writing songs for his young children.

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The Thinking Caps

Ill at Will

The Ill at Will street dance crew provides arts education for kids of all ages with a focus on the cultural foundation, not just the dance. As a collective of self-proclaimed hip-hop heads, the crew hopes to make the culture of street dancing more accessible.

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Ill at Will

“We want to get Londoners excited about the local music scene,” said Marcus Plowright, chair of the New Year’s Eve in the Park organizing committee. “We’ve got some of the hottest musicians coming out of the Forest City and it’s so exciting to open an event like this to everyone. Music brings people together in a way that I don't feel anything else does.”

New Year’s Eve in the Park is a community driven event supported by the City of London. This year’s New Year’s Eve in the Park is sponsored by Drewlo Holdings, LiUNA Local 1059 and McCormick Canada.

For all the details, please visit the london.ca New Years webpage.

Travelling to Victoria Park

London Transit will be offering free transit service on December 31 after 8 p.m.  On-street parking downtown is free after 6 p.m. on December 31 and free all-day January 1. Find more parking details by visiting london.ca/parking.

Bike parking is available around Victoria Park on the south side of the bandshell, at the corner of Richmond Street and Central Avenue, along Wellington Street just north of Dufferin Avenue, and outside City Hall under the west overhang.

Secure bike lockers can also be rented and are located at the north end of Clarence Street beside Victoria Park. The bike lockers can be opened with the Movatic app, and the first two hours of your rental are free.

Last modified:Thursday, March 28, 2024