Fake event lures hundreds of revellers to non-existent Birmingham fireworks – again
Hundreds of New Year revelers have been left disappointed after they were tricked into attending a non-existent fireworks display in Birmingham city centre.
Crowds were drawn to Centenary Square by online ads promising a spectacular fireworks display and music in 2026. But they had an anti-climactic start to the year when the posts turned out to be false.
For the second consecutive year, such fake ads have drawn crowds to a non-existent fireworks display in the city, after online claims last year that thousands flocked to a falsely advertised new year celebration.
On Tuesday, West Midlands Police announced that “there will be no official fireworks displays or any city-organised events in Birmingham city center on New Year’s Eve.”
“Every year, rumors about big celebrations in the city begin to spread on the Internet,” the police said in a statement. “Unfortunately, these false claims often lead to confusion and frustration.
“Last year, for example, we became aware of posts circulating about a spectacular demonstration in Centenary Square. Many people believed it, went downtown and were disappointed when nothing happened.”
He added that misinformation could create “real safety issues” in the city.
However, images from Centennial Square showed hundreds of people waiting for the fireworks display, which did not take place on Wednesday evening.
It comes after tourists in London flocked to visit a Christmas market at Buckingham Palace, only to find the festive fair non-existent. Artificial intelligence-generated images shared widely on social media led crowds to visit the non-existent market.
Buckingham Palace hosted a small Christmas buffet for the first time this year; However, this was quite different from the fake images circulating on the internet.
In its original announcement of the festive boutique, the Royal Collection Trust said: “Please note that the Royal Mews Christmas Shop is a pop-up shop selling Royal Collection Trust festive products in the existing Royal Mews shop space and is not a Christmas market.
“There will be no Christmas market at Buckingham Palace.”
