Back on song: Emeli Sande, who sang Abide With Me during the Opening Ceremony, performs on the newspaper-covered stage
The colourful London landscape takes life in the centre of the Olympic Stadium, with Tower Bridge, the London Eye and the Gerkin taking centre-stage
CLOSING CEREMONY BY NUMBERS
2 cannons used during the closing ceremony.
4 tipper trucks used in one section of the extravaganza.
6 flying machines featured in the show.
20 large inflatable silver pinballs were released among the athletes.
At least 40 members of gymnastics troupe Spelbound.
40 hours three people spent lining up the images to the irregular shape of the seating bowls.
50 scooters pimped up by the cast themselves.
50, the diameter in metres of the octopus when fully extended.
101 fragments used to create the face of John Lennon.
108 vehicles in the first scene – 10 black cabs, 10 wedding cars, 10 vintage cars, 10 sports cars, 10 modern cars, 10 cars with trailers, 10 trucks, 10 mopeds, four white vans, eight bikes, eight folding bikes, and eight skateboards.
270 children formed the River Thames from 10 schools.
3,500 in the cast of the London 2012 closing ceremony.
5,600 square metres – the specially commissioned floor covering created by Damien Hirst.
10,000 lights used to transform the newsprint city into a luminous fun fair in the fairground scene.
70,799 small panels mounted between the seats to create the audience pixel screen, each one with nine LED pixels.
During a round of appreciation he offered his gratitude to the Olympic volunteers who gave their time ‘energy and goodwill, and ‘to the IOC who have been with us every step of the way.’
After thanking the athletes and before introducing IOC President Jacques Rogge, he added: ‘When our time came Britain we did it right – thank you.’
Rogge added: ‘These were happy and glorious Games. The legacy of the Games of the XXX Olympiad will become clear in many ways.
‘Concrete improvements in infrastructure will benefit the host nation for years to come.
‘The human legacy will reach every region of the world.
‘Many young people will be inspired to take up a sport or to pursue their dreams.’
Rogge said the 17 days of the Olympics had been “unforgettable” and he paid tribute to London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe.
‘The organising committee, well supported by the public authorities, did a superb job,” he said.
‘We will never forget the smiles, the kindness and the support of the wonderful volunteers, the much-needed heroes of these Games.
‘You, the spectators and the public, provided the soundtrack for these Games.
‘Your enthusiastic cheers energised the competitors and brought a festive spirit to every Olympic venue.
‘You have shown the world the best of British hospitality.’
Dead on midnight the flame that reached all corners of the UK over 70 days was extinguished.
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As the dying flame flickered in the Olympic cauldron, a new flame emerged in the form of a phoenix suspended above the audience.
After much speculation over whether they would perform or not after Gary Barlow’s tragic loss of his stillborn daughter, Take That – minus Robbie Williams whose wife is due to give birth – took to the stage with hit single Rule The World.
As they left the stage, the flaming figure of prima ballerina Darcey Bussell descended on the stadium from its roof, joining more than 200 ballerinas dancing to David Arnold’s Spirit of the Flame.
After performing a mesmerising dance representing the fire in the torch, they moved towards the cauldron, bowing down below it.
As the stadium became a sea of red, white and blue for the grand finale, The Who burst into Baba O’Riley and See Me, Feel Me as a montage of faces, including volunteers, fans, security guards, youngsters and troops flashed across the screens.
Building to its climax, the faces multiplied, expressing a sense of unity in the UK and beyond.
Bussell then led the Brazilian performers in a procession around the stadium.
Rock superstars The Who ended the night with a performance of Baba Reilly and a medley of their other hits, as a fireworks lit up the London sky.
And the Games were over.
80,000 people in the Olympic Stadium counted down to the beginning of the opening ceremony, to the chimes of a replica of Big Ben
Scaled-down London! Landmarks of the capital make up the set for the Closing Ceremony
