opening ceremony | Foreign Students

Watch the London 2012 Opening Ceremony

Submitted by Foreign Students on Sun 29/07/12

On Friday night, the London 2012 Opening Ceremony officially opened the Olympic Games. Directed by Oscar-winning film director Danny Boyle, the ceremony was both spectacular and very clearly British at the same time.

It was based loosely on the Shakespeare play The Tempest and charted Britain's history, right from rural greenery, to the industrial revolution, to World War I, to the Beatles to modern day Britain. It climaxed with a stunning lighting of the Olympic cauldron. Seven young Olympic British hopefuls were handed torches by current Olympians and they each lit one of 204 separate 'petals'. These all slowly caught fire and rose up to create one huge flame. Watch the stunning footage here.

Instead of us simply describing the ceremony to you, you can watch it for yourself in its entirety on the BBC website here. One particular highlight was an amazing scene when James Bond met a very special person at Buckingham Palace. You can watch it below.

Get the Olympics Party Started

Submitted by Foreign Students on Fri 27/07/12

After seven years of planning, the London 2012 Olympics are finally officially starting tonight with the Opening Ceremony taking place at the brand new Olympics Stadium in Stratford. Whilst there will be 80,000 spectators there in the stadium, there will be millions (possibly even billions) more watching at home on TV. It will all be kicking off at 9pm tonight and is being shown live on BBC 1.

What better way for you to start the Olympics than by having an Opening Ceremony party? Gather your friends in front of a TV and make it a night to remember (or not, depending on the amount of alcohol drunk). Here we have gathered some of the very best ideas for Olympics parties.

London 2012 Olympics: Three Days To Go

Submitted by Foreign Students on Tue 24/07/12

The London 2012 Olympics are finally almost upon us. After seven years of planning, building and preparing, the Opening Ceremony will officially be opening the Games at the brand new Olympic Stadium on Friday. Here we have a round-up of all the latest news, including the opening events, some unusual statues and the weather finally turning.

Sunshine Appears in Time

After months of rain and floods spoiling the British summer, the sun has finally turned up just in time for the Olympics. Britain is expected to enjoy its hottest weather of the year this week, with forecasters predicting temperatures of over 30C (86F)- that's hotter than Hawaii. This good weather is expected to remain for much of August, though forecasters are predicting that heavy showers and even storms could afflict the Olympic Opening Ceremony.

A Met Office spokesman described how we face a "typical British summer" this weekend with unsettled conditions: "For Friday, it is still looking reasonably warm but at the same time there is a slight chance of a shower in the South but these showers should be few and far between".

London 2012 Olympics Becoming a Reality

Submitted by Foreign Students on Wed 13/06/12

With just over a month until the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games, finishing touches are being made and excitement is growing. Stunning plans have been revealed about the opening ceremony, whilst the organising committee have announced that the Games have come in half a billion pounds under budget.

Unique Opening Ceremony

The director of the opening ceremony, Danny Boyle, yesterday unveiled elaborate plans that will transform the Olympic Stadium into the British countryside for one night only on 27th July. There will be meadows, rivers, an oak tree, fake clouds and even real farmyard animals (including 70(!) sheep), all alongside 10,000 (human) volunteers.

The show is called "Green and Pleasant" and is inspired by Shakespeare's play The Tempest. It will tell the tale of a land recovering from its industrial legacy, and will begin with the world's largest "harmonically-tuned" bell ringing in the stadium.