London's Waterloo station buzzed with music and dance on Tuesday as Eurostar marked the end of 13 years of high-speed train services to the continent and prepared to move across town to the newly restored St Pancras station. A huge banner read "Goodbye to all our friends at Waterloo... Hello St Pancras" while music, dance and theatre groups performed in the departures hall to an audience of Eurostar travellers and intrigued onlookers.

"It's like a surprise farewell party for the staff," said Celine Cognard, 31, who works in customer services for Eurostar and danced along to the music. "Nobody here knew this was going to happen."

The party, named "Waterloo Sunset" after the 1960s' song written by The Kinks about the station, also surprised passengers, some of whom had booked months in advance to take one of the last Eurostar trains from Waterloo.

"I wasn't expecting this at all - it's great," said Frances Cui, 53, an accountant and train enthusiast watching the Waterloo festivities. "I got shares in the (Channel tunnel operator) Eurotunnel initially and took the Eurostar soon after it opened."

Since services began in November 1994, Eurostar has carried over 81 million travellers from the award-winning Waterloo International terminal, designed by prominent British architect Nicholas Grimshaw. The service began with two trains a day between Brussels and Paris and now operates up to 17 daily services to Paris and up to 10 daily services to Brussels. Passengers and staff said they would miss the Waterloo International terminal but were eager to travel through St Pancras station after its 800 million pound facelift.

"I think Waterloo International was sensational when it opened and St Pancras is now," said David Green, 59, who regularly takes Eurostar on business trips. The upgrade of St Pancras station, about three miles north of Waterloo, cost £10 billion and includes a high speed rail line that will cut journey times to Paris by 20 minutes. The red-brick gothic station was originally completed during Queen Victoria's reign in 1876. It now contains Europe's longest champagne bar at 93 metres and no fast food restaurants.

The architects of St Pancras hope their elegantly restored station will offer a more stylish, romantic point of departure and arrival.