The start of the Tokyo Olympics will be celebrated with a special illumination.
The London Eye has already gone pink (for a new sponsor), blue (for an NHS tribute), and orange (for Halloween) in the past eighteen months, and now another colour change is on the horizon. To mark the start of the Tokyo Olympics on July 23, the London Eye will be illuminated in the colours of Team GB: red, white, and blue.
On the other side of the globe, the Games kick off with what’s sure to be a glitzy opening ceremony on July 23 (it’s on at roughly 7am here in the UK). Here in London, the Eye will be illuminated on two consecutive nights: at 9:45pm on Thursday, July 22, and at the same time the following night (Friday, July 23). It’s being illuminated to cheer on Great Britain’s finest athletes, who’ll be going for gold once more over the next two weeks.
The London Eye has lit up in red, white, and blue on at least two occasions recently, for equally patriotic reasons. In May 2020, the colours of the Union Jack were displayed to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day, whilst in February 2021, the same colour scheme was used to honour the life of prolific NHS fundraiser and national hero Captain Sir Tom Moore, who passed away earlier that day. Here’s hoping Team GB athletes can bring the nation as much inspiration as Tom did!