Handover celebrations

There was lots to celebrate in the summer of 2008: a haul of medals from the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games, a party on The Mall, and London becoming an
Olympic and Paralympic Host City.

Olympic Handover: 24 August

Ceremony in Beijing

On Sundy 24 August, the Olympic Flag passed from the Mayor of Beijing to the Mayor of London. A special red London bus drove in to the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing for the Handover section of the Olympic Games Closing Ceremony. David Beckham, Leona Lewis and Led Zepelin's Jimmy Page were on board to welcome the world to London.

Created and staged by LOCOG’s Ceremonies team, the show reflected London through dance and music, with some typical British humour. As part of the show, dancers from the Royal Opera House, CandoCo and ZooNation collaborated in a unique performance. Watch a video of the Olympic Handover Ceremony (due to broadcast rights restrictions, this is only available to those in the UK).

Download the guide to the Olympic Handover Ceremony (PDF, 2.7MB)

The Visa London 2012 Party on The Mall

Around 40,000 people enjoyed a free live concert on The Mall on 24 August to celebrate Olympic Handover.

The Visa London 2012 Party featured top bands, acts and lots of special guests, all ready to welcome the Games to London

The party was hosted by Claudia Winkleman and Matt Baker. Bradley Wiggins, Phillips Idowu and Michael Phelps were among the athletes returning from Beijing with their medals to greet the crowds. The acts included The Feeling, Katherine Jenkins, Will Young, McFly and Heather Small.

Millions also enjoyed the show watching live on BBC One or listening on Radio 2.

Around the UK

Towns, cities and communities across the UK also planned their own Olympic Handover celebrations, with a series of events and initiatives happening across all nations and regions.

This included a network of big screens showing live coverage of the Closing Ceremony and the concert in London. Special Handover flags were also raised in locations from Lands End to John O'Groats.

See some of the celebrations on our Olympic Handover celebrations map 

 

Paralympic Handover: 17 September

Ceremony in Beijing

The Beijing Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony took place on Wednesday 17 September 2008.

The ceremony was created by the same team in tandem with the Olympic Games Handover and featured much of the same cast. Watch the Paralympic Games Handover Ceremony video on our blog (due to broadcast rights restrictions, this is only available to those in the UK)

Download a guide to the Paralympic Handover Ceremony
(PDF 2.3MB)

Celebrating in the UK

Schools and colleges lead the Paralympic Handover celebrations in the UK, with the help of an online resource packed full of ideas and information. See some photos of the celebrations on our Paralympic Handover map

The next day the 'Get Set' education programme launched online, encouraging children and young people to learn and be inspired by the Games.