London 2012 - The Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics (XXX Olympiad), titled Isles of Wonder, began at 21:00 BST (UTC+01:00) on Friday, 27 July 2012, in the Olympic Stadium, London, and lasted almost four hours, ending at 12.45 am. Some earlier features—including a flypast by the Red Arrows and a musical prologue—had begun at exactly 8:12 pm that evening ("2012" on the 24 hour clock). The ceremony was designed and co-ordinated by film director Danny Boyle, with musical direction by electronic music group Underworld. The Games were opened by Queen Elizabeth II.