The Sapele New Year’s Eve Dinner & Cruise pairs a three-course dinner at Doggett’s Coat and Badge, beside Blackfriars Bridge, with a Thames cruise for the midnight fireworks on 31 December 2026. Dinner is served from 5pm; boarding at Bankside Pier is at 9:30pm for a 9:45pm departure, returning at approximately 1:15am. A welcome drink, live music on board and the dinner are included; the on-board bar is cash only. From £389 per adult and £379 per child, with free cancellation up to 30 days before.
Dinner first, then the river
The Sapele evening comes in two parts. You start at a table — three courses and a welcome drink at Doggett’s Coat and Badge, on the south bank with Blackfriars Bridge outside the window — while the city outside gets louder. Then an escort walks the group to Bankside Pier and you take the whole thing onto the water.
On board there is live music rather than a DJ and room to hear the person next to you, and children are welcome.
See the dinner menu at Doggett’s Coat and Badge (PDF)
How the night unfolds
5:00pm — Doggett’s Coat and Badge
Meet at 1 Blackfriars Bridge for a welcome drink and a three-course dinner, unhurried, while central London fills up outside.
9:30pm — Bankside Pier
A short walk along the river brings you to the pier, opposite St Paul’s and beside Shakespeare’s Globe. Boarding is at 9:30pm; the Sapele casts off at 9:45pm.
On board — live music
Not a nightclub: a band, a bar and the city going past. The on-board bar takes cash only, so bring notes — there is no card machine on the boat.
Midnight — the fireworks, then music until 1:15am
The Sapele takes position for the display, and afterwards the music carries on into 2027 before returning you to Bankside Pier at about 1:15am.
Before you book
All ages are welcome on the Sapele, and infants are admitted but need a paid ticket. A valid ID is required to buy alcohol on board.
Dress to impress. Luggage and large bags of any type are not allowed on the vessel. Boat timings are strict and latecomers cannot be waited for, and roads across central London may close early for the fireworks — check Transport for London before you travel. Cancellation is free up to 30 days before the cruise.
The Silver Bonito follows the same format from the Tower end of town: dinner at The Minories near Tower Hill, then a cruise from Tower Bridge Quay at 9:15pm, with Prosecco as you board and again at midnight.
Leaving the same pier at the same time, the Thomas Doggett is a different boat, despite sharing its name with the pub where the Sapele’s dinner is served: it is for ages 12 and up, with a Greek dinner at The Real Greek on Southwark Bridge Road or the cruise on its own.
