Opening Ceremony Rehearsal

Last night I was privileged to be able to go to the technical rehearsal for the London 2012 Opening Ceremony. Like many Games Makers, I received an email a few weeks ago offering me a ticket as a special thank you for volunteering and I leapt at the opportunity. Like many millions of people around the world, I will be glued to the TV tomorrow to watch the official opening, but this was a once in a lifetime chance to see it all in advance.

The Golden Ticket!

Together with two colleagues, who are all also Games Makers, we headed over to Stratford on a gloriously sunny afternoon. Once we arrived, the ticket control and security were blissfully easy and then we got to see the Olympic Park...

Going in to the Olympic Park

This is the first time that I've been to the Olympic Park, so it was really exciting to see it close up. Going in through the main gate, the first venues that you see are the Aquatic Centre on the left and the Water Polo Arena on the right. Straight ahead is the Olympic Arena and The Orbit..

Entering the park

Going past the Aquatic Centre

We then got a closer look at the The Orbit, as we headed towards one of the food areas..

A closer view of The Orbit

The location of the Olympic flame within the Park is still a secret, but there's speculation that it will actually be at the top of The Orbit.

Looking back at The Orbit from one of the food areas

Once we had eaten, it was time to head in to the arena. It was then that we realised just how huge the arena is. Our entrance was Bridge E, which was completely the other side from where we were. To walk around from one side to the other must be at least a mile in distance. On the way, we saw quite a few film crews..

When we took our seats, we discovered that we were sitting just above the royal box and that we had a terrific view.

Block 206, Row 66, Seat 437

The "pre-show" got under way at 08:00 PM, during which Danny Boyle came out, explained what we were going to see and asked that everyone #savethesurprise. So this is where this blog entry ends. What I will say about the show is that it's the most spectacular thing I've ever seen and, even if you're not into the Olympics, it will astonish you. If you possibly can, make every effort you can to watch it on TV tomorrow. You won't be disappointed.

One of the performers after the show