OPENING CEREMONY : LONDON 2012

Counting down to the London 2012 Opening Ceremony

Danny Boyle's 'Isles of Wonder' Olympic Opening Ceremony will commence at 9pm tonight, Friday 27 July.

10,000 volunteers, cast and crew have been rehearsing day and night over the last few months to make the Opening Ceremony a success, with dress rehearsals taking place earlier this week.
Danny Boyle, Artistic Director of the Opening Ceremony, said: ‘The Ceremony is an attempt to capture a picture of ourselves as a nation, where we have come from and where we want to be. The best part of telling that story has been working with our 10,000 volunteers.’
At the heart of the Ceremony is the Athletes’ Parade, a procession of the participating teams in the Stadium, nation by nation.
The big finale is the entrance of the Olympic Flame into the Stadium and the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron, marking the start of the Games.

OLYMPIC TORCH: CAMDEN TO WESTMINSTER

London's most famous landmarks will be visited by the Olympic flame on the day before the opening ceremony.

On 26 July, the torch will be carried from Camden to Westminster in the final stages of the Olympic flame's journey through every London borough.

Torchbearers will visit venues including Buckingham Palace, St Paul's Cathedral and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

LONDON 2012: A VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE OLYMPIC PARK

From the showpiece of the Olympic stadium to the cutting-edge sustainable design of the Velodrome, our 3D map of the Olympic Park takes you on a tour of the architectural stars of London 2012. Click on the blue buttons across the top to begin, and other arrows for more detailed information.

THE OLYMPIC FLAME RIDES THE LONDON EYE

The Olympic Flame spends its second full day in the capital on Sunday 22 July, being carried by 163 Torchbearers as it makes its 32.37 mile journey from Redbridge to Bexley.

OLYMPIC FLAME ARRIVES IN LONDON

The Olympic torch has arrived in London after a 63-day trip around the British Isles - in a scene akin to a James Bond film. The flame was delivered to the Tower of London by a Royal Marine Commando who abseiled from a helicopter carrying it in a lantern. Marine Martyn Williams arrived at Tower Wharf in a Royal Navy Sea King helicopter, and undertook the 180ft descent from the aircraft at 20:12 hours - to mark the year of the Games. He held the flame up proudly for media representatives gathered to witness its arrival in the host city, with seven days to go until the start of the Games.

LONDON 2012: OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES

Find out about the Olympic and Paralympic Games, have a go at the interactive quizzes, games and challenges.

QUEEN GREETS OLYMPIC TORCH 2012 AT WINDSOR

The Olimpic torch visited the Queen at Windsor Castle, was carried by the man who broke the four-minute mile and by Britain's greatest Olympic rower and even got a passing glance at a streaker.

On a stormy Tuesday, 10th July, the Queen held an unopened umbrella as Gina Macgregor, a sodden 74-year-old runner, carried the torch to the castle.

Macgregor joked about being caught in a downpour, telling the Queen she had "looked fine this morning" when she set off with the fire that was lit back in May in Greece to mark the London Olympics.

The day began with the torch being held aloft by 83-year-old Roger Bannister, who in 1954 became the first runner to smash the four-minute mile.

The torch is winding its way 12,900 kilometres across the country ahead of the July 27-August 12 Olympics.

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