London 2012 Announces Handover Party
The London 2012 organising committee has released details of the Olympic handover party from Beijing to London including a free party in central London on 24th August.
A live concert for 40,000 people in the capital will coincide with the handing over of the Olympic flag at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Games.
The concert will be broadcast live on BBC1 and Radio 4 and big screens will be set up around the country so spectators can watch the ceremony.
Towns and cities all over the UK will also mark the handover moment with their own celebrations while a special London 2012 flag is being offered to every local authority in the UK to join in with the celebrations.
In Beijing, London will stage an eight-minute performance at the closing ceremony.
It is thought that the central London party will be graced by a host of celebrities with the likes of David Beckham linked with an appearance according to media speculation.
London 2012 chairman Lord Coe said: ‘It is to start the narrative of what we want to be saying about ourselves. It is to link people back home into the celebrations in Beijing.’
London Mayor Boris Johnson added: ‘I’m suspicious of any state-sponsored effort to encourage any national mood of euphoria, but looking at what’s going to be in store for us on the 24th I can say it will be a great party. It’s going to be remorselessly and cheerfully symbolic of our country.’
