People wishing to attend today’s Fireworks Night celebration have been advised that the event has sold out and no tickets will be available on the door.
Over 33,000 people attended last year’s event, which saw “scary” overcrowding, leading Southwark Council to designate tonight’s event ticket-only.
Gates open this evening at 5pm, with last entry at 6.30pm. Attendees have been advised to “arrive early to avoid the long queues.”
In 2014 there were dangerous levels of crowding at the £58,000 pyrotechnics show, with one attendee expressing surprise that no one had been hurt.
Timi Samples, 48, feared her wheelchair-bound daughter would be trampled by the impatient crowds as they waited to get in to last year’s event.
She said: “I’m surprised no one was killed or squashed to death. It was really scary. There were people jumping off the concrete slabs on to us and our children. People just got fed up queuing.”
Cllr Ian Wingfield, Southwark Cabinet member for business, employment and culture, said: “Apologies to those who weren’t able to get tickets in time, unfortunately they will not be available on the gate but I hope you will appreciate these capacity restrictions have been put in place on the recommendation of our partners in our safety advisory group to ensure a safe event for everyone. We look forward to seeing those who did get tickets at the park tonight.”