Thousands of New Year Eve revellers were left disappointed after a rumoured fireworks display in Birmingham’s Centenary Square turned out to be nothing but a scam, concocted by rogue social media and AI posts. Many flocked to the city centre after rumours online of an official spectacle set to light up the night sky to bring in 2025.
But those anticipations fizzled out as West Midlands Police officers on duty at the square had to break the news that no event was due to take place.
Despite the heavy influx of people expecting a grand show, police and security found themselves greatly outnumbered.
But only minor disturbances rippled through the crowd and when midnight came, excitement ensued with cheers and sporadic fireworks from individuals within the mass of disappointed revellers – a far cry from the structured fanfare many had hoped for.
It’s been a long ten years since Birmingham last hosted an official New Year’s Eve fireworks show.
West Midlands Police addressed the situation with an online statement, saying: “We’re aware of speculation of a New Year’s Eve fireworks display taking place in Birmingham’s Centenary Square tonight but we can confirm this is not the case. We don’t want people travelling unnecessarily into the city centre tonight to be left disappointed after discovering the event isn’t taking place.”, reports the Mirror.
Birmingham Superintendent Emlyn Richards added: “There are rumours online that a fireworks display will take place in Centenary Square but there isn’t a planned event this year. We don’t want people travelling into the city to be disappointed when they arrive and discover this is the case.
“There will be thousands of people travelling into the city to enjoy themselves at venues across the city. We will be visible on the streets tonight to ensure everything runs smoothly and people have a wonderful evening.”