MILLENNIUM EVE LONDON 1999 A PERSONAL ACCOUNT

MILLENNIUM EVE LONDON 1999 A PERSONAL ACCOUNT

It is 10.30am on the last day of the Century and Kiribati, a small
island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean has already entered the new
Millennium. Regrettably I have slept through the celebrations which
were broadcast live across the globe - but never mind they will be
continuously repeated on TV throughout the day. My wife Anne, and eight
year old daughter Georgina have been awake for over an hour and later
this evening we plan to attend the Millennium celebrations which will
take place along a four mile stretch of the River Thames.
The weather is overcast with low cloud but not particularly cold and
there is a threat of rain later in the evening which could spoil the
festivities. It is now 11am and whilst the TV shows the flickering
images of New Zealand entering the 21st Century, Georgina is playing
football with the Year 2000 balloons I bought especially for the
occasion.
The first major event as far as the UK is concerned appears on TV at
midday, this is the last time Big Ben will strike twelve this Century
and we watch in silence as the chimes ring out in the murky air.
Another hour passes by and Sydney enters the new Millennium with a
magnificent firework display centred over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. At
this point I decide to go out and do some last minute shopping. Today
is a public holiday so most of the shops will be closing at 4pm. By the
time I arrive home the sun is about to set for the last time this
Century. Sadly we are unable to witness the event as it is still very
cloudy. It is now 4.30pm and we are preparing to leave for the London
celebrations, we pack drinks and snacks and a few cans of lager as
there will be no alcohol for sale in central London. We finally leave
home at 5pm and catch the 5.15pm train from Ealing Broadway for the 10
minute journey to Paddington, where we board a bus to Oxford Circus.
This is as far as we can go by public transport as there is a traffic
exclusion zone in operation, so we continue our journey on foot along
Regent Street in the direction of the River Thames.
It seems quite strange without any shops open but the atmosphere is
starting to build and we can hear the sound of whistles and horns in
the distance. This prompts Georgina to add to the cacophony of noise.
We reach Trafalgar Square where there are two large screens
broadcasting the global celebrations to a sizeable crowd. We are now a
short walk from the river but we decide to avoid Whitehall as it looks
very crowded, instead we approach the embankment from one of the many
streets that run alongside Charing Cross station.
The scene that greets us is remarkable. The Millennium Wheel is lit by
a constantly changing rainbow of colours. The four faces of Big Ben are
floodlit in luminous green, and a small flotilla of yachts with odd
shaped masts is meandering up and down the river, whilst video images
are constantly being replayed on the facade of the Royal Festival
Hall.
We walk along the embankment in the direction of one of the many music
stages along the river front, where a band is entertaining the crowds
with intoxicating latin rhythms, it is crowded, but not uncomfortable.
At this point we decide to get something to eat, so we make our way
back towards Hungerford Bridge where there are many food stores
located. The queues are very long but we decide to join them anyway.
Anne and myself order jacket potatoes and Georgina settles for a hot
chocolate, this proves to be a mistake as she subsequently burns her
mouth by trying to drink too much in one go!
It is now 8pm and the Millennium Wheel is officially opened with a
small but colourful firework display - unfortunately it will not be
carrying any passengers as it has failed a last minute safety test. We
are also aware of a huge roaring noise above our heads, we later
discover that this was Concorde passing over the Thames. However no one
could see it because of the cloudy conditions. We begin to walk away
from Hungerford Bridge back in the direction of the music stage but the
scene is very different now and it is overwhelmingly crowded. We are
being pushed and jostled from every direction, the crush is unbearable,
potentially dangerous and very frightening. Georgina is becoming
anxious, as she has never experienced crowds of this size before, so we
make our way back to Hungerford Bridge where it appears less crowded,
and position ourselves next to a barrier near the rivers edge. We soon
discover that we are close to the entrance of a VIP boat party, where
it appears the guests have paid ?500 per head but have had to endure
the same crush as the rest of us in order to get aboard! Meanwhile the
overwhelming crowd congestion we encountered earlier has now reached
this part of the embankment and once more we are being pushed and
jostled. There are now some very distressed and panic stricken people
who begin to climb over the barriers onto the platform that earlier
served as an embarkation point for the VIP's. The Police make no
attempt to stop anyone and the whole situation seems out of control. At
this point I ask the Police if we can climb over onto the platform as
Georgina is being crushed against the barrier, I climb over first and
haul Georgina across, Anne follows closely behind, and with a helping
hand manages to climb over the barrier.
Within half an hour the situation seems under control and the area
does not look so congested We now have a very good vantage point and
being above the crowds we have a glorious view of the river. Including
ourselves, there are now at least 30 people on the platform and
although it is no longer as crowded as it was earlier, the Police allow
us to stay and a camaraderie builds amongst us as we exchange stories
of the night's ordeals.
It is now 9pm and we have three hours left in which to amuse
ourselves, we can't drink any of the lager we brought with us as the
queues for the toilets are horrendous and in any case we would have to
leave our safe haven so we simply entertain ourselves by watching the
antics of the crowd! All around us there are scenes of drunkenness and
merriment. Georgina is particularly amused by two men who have climbed
to the top of a nearby tree - I can't help wondering what would happen
if one of these thrill seekers were to fall out of the tree - What if
they were seriously injured? How would the ambulance get through the
massive crowds?
The building opposite is now occupied by dozens of revellers, who have
somehow managed to gain entry, and taken position on the balcony. One
of them has ascended to the top of the building and is sat astride the
bell tower! We ourselves have become the centre of attraction amongst
certain elements of the crowd, who now view our advantageous position
with envy, and in an effort to join us wait for the Police to turn
their backs and hurdle over the barrier, only to be roughly manhandled
back moments later.
The rain that was forecast earlier now begins to fall, but it isn't
heavy and doesn't dampen anyone's spirits. Whether it is the rain, the
excitement or the hot chocolate she drank earlier, Georgina is
desperate to go to the toilet, and as we have no intention of visiting
the public toilets we form a human cordon around her and she relieves
herself on the rivers edge.
As we approach midnight we are constantly checking our watches, our
view of Big Ben is obscured so we are all comparing times. The noise of
the crowds is deafening and there is no countdown to the midnight hour,
so quite without warning the long awaited firework display begins. We
have finally entered the 21st Century. In an instant the night sky is
illuminated in an explosion of colour and noise, this sets the scene
for what will be a magnificent 15 minute display of pyrotechnics. As
the fireworks come to an end the sky is so black with smoke that famous
landmarks - such as St. Paul's Cathedral and The Royal Festival Hall
are no longer visible. The fireworks have been so captivating that
everyone has forgotten the traditional happy new year exchanges - but
we make up for it and celebrate the new Millennium by opening the cans
of lager.
It is 12.30am and the huge crowds are beginning to disperse, so we
take a last look at the riverside festivities and make our way home.
The streets are now carpeted with the remains of the celebrations -
champagne bottles, beer cans, paper cups and all other manner of debris
- and it is impossible to avoid walking on broken glass. We reach
Trafalgar Square where the crowds are still quite large but bearable,
and as we walk through the drunken, but cheerful throng we look in the
direction of the Mall where we glimpse the funfair that has been
erected there. The bright lights of the ferris wheel have attracted our
attention and Georgina in particular is keen to get a closer look but
the area looks very crowded and we decide against a visit.
We move away from the revelry of Trafalgar Square in the direction of
Oxford Circus, where we know we can board a bus back to Ealing,
unfortunately our journey has taken us into the heart of Leicester
Square, where the normal Friday night crowds heading for clubs -
swollen by the new year celebrations - has met with the crowds heading
away from the river and this has resulted in an enormous crush, and to
make matters worse it is now raining quite heavily, once again the
situation seems out of control and Georgina is bearing the brunt and
becoming very distressed. After a number of heated exchanges with
people hell bent on pushing their way through the melee we manage to
negotiate our way into the surrounding streets, where the crowds are
thinner. We now have a relatively trouble free walk to Oxford
Street.
It has taken us nearly two hours to reach Oxford Circus - we are
exhausted, but still in good spirits. The buses are plentiful but they
cannot accommodate the huge crowds of people trying to get home and
after three abortive attempts we finally board a bus. Georgina makes
the most of the 30 minute journey and duly falls asleep!
We wake Georgina and leave the bus for the ten minute walk home, it is
quiet compared with central London but there are still lots of people
around. It is 3.30am by the time we arrive home and Georgina goes
straight to bed while we continue to watch the global celebrations on
TV. At 4am the Caribbean enters the new millennium and we decide to
call it a night.
On reflection the last 18 hours have produced a range of emotions, but
ultimately to witness the end of one millennium and the beginning of a
new one is a once in a lifetime experience and for that reason alone it
will be truly unforgettable.

Patrick Fellows