PEACH SNOW, EDIBLE BANANA CONFETTI, ORANGE-FLAVOURED BUBBLES AND AN APP FEATURE IN WORLD’S FIRST MULTI-SENSORY FIREWORKS DISPLAY FOR LONDON’S NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS

- Vodafone, in partnership with the Mayor of London, unveils details of world’s first multi-sensory fireworks display to encompass area the size of three football pitches by the River Thames

- Vodafone augmented reality smartphone app enables people anywhere to experience London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks at home

Thousands of people attending tonight’s New Year’s Eve celebrations in London will experience a world first as Vodafone, in partnership with the Mayor of London, helps create a spectacular display on the banks of the River Thames that they will be able to taste and smell, as well as see and hear.

Mouth-watering fruit flavours and fantastic aromas will bring a new dimension to the annual fireworks display as they will be matched with the colours of the pyrotechnics.

Tonight’s ground-breaking event will involve:
- around 50,000 revellers seeing, smelling and tasting clouds of apple, cherry and strawberry mist, peach snow, ‘floating oranges’ – thousands of enormous bubbles filled with Seville orange flavoured smoke – and 40,000 grams of edible banana confetti
- 100,000 people in key viewing areas by the Thames receiving multi-sensory packs, featuring scratch ‘n sniff programmes, LED wristbands and seven kinds of fruit-flavoured sweets that relate to the tastes and smells of the multi-sensory display
- millions of people around the world watching the spectacle on television

To give a sense of the fireworks experience to people at home, Vodafone has launched a London New Year’s Eve fireworks app, which will use the smartphone camera and display to offer people all over the world an augmented reality experience synchronised with the display on the banks of the River Thames.
The app will come alive for the first time at midnight GMT, adding to the experience of watching the fireworks display on television. It is free and has been available since midnight on 28 December 2013. More information about downloading the app is available at Firsts.com.

Preparations for this unique event have taken months and involved Vodafone connecting Bompas & Parr with various experts, as well as the Mayor of London's events team. TasteTech, a specialist in flavour technology, and Quantum, experts in entertainment special effects, have helped create the display, along with XYLO, the creator of LED wristbands that turn large crowds into pulsating light displays.

The multi-sensory experience is safe and edible for all to enjoy, thanks to extensive research ensuring the flavours conform to halal and kosher standards.

The new creative partnership between Vodafone and the Mayor of London will add to an event that attracts large crowds and is seen by millions more people across the UK and around the world. It will bring a new dimension to the Mayor's annual pyrotechnic and lighting display, which is one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the year.

Vodafone has long been linked to innovation at New Year’s Eve. The UK’s first mobile phone call was made just after midnight on 1 January 1985.

Vodafone Firsts*
Vodafone's partnership with the Mayor of London to bring the world's first multi-sensory fireworks display to London marks the beginning of the company's new global brand engagement strategy, "Vodafone Firsts". "Firsts" focuses on a simple concept: that Vodafone's technology and connectivity can enable and inspire people to do something amazing for the first time, from making their first call to sharing their first video.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: "A spectacular display of pyrotechnics that you can taste and even smell! Where else but London would you get such an experience? Whether you are getting a sensory overload along the river, or having your new year reality augmented at home, our partnership with Vodafone is creating a fantastic first for London, one that will help kick off 2014 in magnificent style."

Martin Green, Head of Brand Engagement at Vodafone and the former Head of Ceremonies for London 2012, said: “We set out to create an amazing world first, bringing a unique element to London's New Year's Eve celebrations. And the Vodafone app brings the excitement of the world’s best fireworks display straight in to people’s hands, wherever they are in the world.”

Harry Parr, food artist, said: “Our ambition is simple – ‘flavoured fireworks,’ and the greatest number of people in human history having a simultaneous multi-sensory experience. Together with Vodafone, we spent a large part of 2013 on an incredible journey to make our dream a reality. As well as going on a global fruit quest to track down the best fruit flavours, we have worked with food technology experts and pyrotechnicians to create banana-flavoured edible confetti, giant orange-flavoured bubbles and fruity mists”

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Images available on request.
*http://www.vodafone.com/content/index/media/vodafone-group-releases/2013/vodafone-announces-vodafone-firsts-new-global-brand-engagement.html

About Vodafone
Vodafone is one of the world's largest telecommunications companies with approximately 411 million customers in its controlled and jointly controlled markets as of 30 September 2013. Vodafone has equity interests in telecommunications operations in nearly 30 countries and around 50 partner networks worldwide. For more information, please visit: www.vodafone.com

London's New Year’s Eve Fireworks
The Mayor of London's New Year's Eve fireworks display will be broadcast live on BBC1. The event is being produced by London-based Jack Morton Worldwide for the tenth consecutive year. The display attracts very large crowds and viewing areas will close as soon as they are full. Central London is also very busy and those thinking about attending should visit www.london.gov.uk/nye for more information and travel advice. Public transport will be the best way to get around on the night. For further information, you can also call Ben McKnight on 020 7983 4071 / communitydesk@london.gov.uk.