Is Big Ben going to ring in the New Year?

This year marks a return of regular service for all the bells of the Elizabeth Tower after five years of restoration work. As the clock hands hit midnight on New Year's Eve, Big Ben will be struck 12 times sounding the bongs which mark the moment a new day and a new year will begin.



Yes, Big Ben is confirmed to strike the midnight chimes to ring in the New Year in London, as it does every year. Following the completion of its massive five-year restoration project in late 2022, the Great Bell is back in full working order. In 2026, the chimes will serve as the centerpiece for the United Kingdom's national New Year's Eve celebration, synchronized with a spectacular fireworks display along the River Thames. The chimes are broadcast live globally and are a symbol of British resilience and tradition. While the clock tower (the Elizabeth Tower) was largely silent during its renovation period, it has now returned to its regular schedule of striking the quarter hours and the main hour, ensuring that its deep, resonant "E natural" note will lead the countdown as the world welcomes 2027.

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The 13-tonne Big Ben bell was largely silenced for five years while a major restoration of the Elizabeth Tower took place, with the “bongs” finally resuming regular service in November 2022.

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Big Ben's chimes were silenced in 2017 to allow for a refurbishment of the 96m (315ft) Elizabeth Tower. Costs ballooned to £80m and the project took a year longer than expected. After five years, the 13.7-tonne bell finally chimed again and was officially unveiled in January.

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You can visit Big Ben by booking a 90-minute guided tour that takes visitors up 334 stairs to see the clock mechanism room, behind the four clock dials and the Belfry, where the famous bell is located. Tours can be booked by visiting the official UK Parliament website.

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On April 30, 1997, at exactly 12:11 pm, London's iconic Big Ben clock stops ticking. For 54 minutes, the most famous clock in the world failed to keep time. Completed in 1859, Big Ben has a long history of technical issues.

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The UK parliament said restoration of the tower is in its final stages and could be finished in October with the return of Big Ben's infamous sounds around the same time period. Tours of Elizabeth Tower are expected to reopen to visitors in spring 2023.

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Though the Palace is generally not open to the public, during summer you can visit its State Apartments (admission charge) and see the Queen's large garden and collection of artwork. You can however see the Changing of the Guard for free at 11.30 am every morning during summer and every second morning during winter.

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1716: The bell from the clock tower is recast and later hung in the South West Tower of St Paul's Cathedral. If Big Ben is ever unable to strike, the bell in St Paul's is heard instead.

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The moniker Big Ben has been in use for over 150 years, and the nickname was originally applied only to the enormous bell inside the tower. The Great Bell received i's sobriquet in honor of Sir Benjamin Hall, the First Commissioner for Works, who raised Big Ben to its current place atop the tower.

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At close proximity, the sound of Big Ben measures 118 decibels, which is loud enough to cause physical pain. To make the bell chime, the copper and tin bell is struck by a hammer weighing 200kg.

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