London is getting ready for the excitement of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, which will begin in style at tomorrow’s Opening Ceremony.

Many venues across the capital will be screening the Ceremony, which will feature a circus act, a tribute to Professor Stephen Hawking and a flypast by disabled pilots. The ceremony is called ”Enlightenment” and will also reference Shakespeare’s The Tempest, continuing the theme from the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games.

A selection of screenings is below, but let us know about any other Opening Ceremony events in the comments below:

BT Live in Trafalgar Square: 
BT London Live, which proved so popular during the Olympic Games, brings its blend of music, activities and sporting coverage to Trafalgar Square. Entry is on a first-come, first-served basis and no tickets are required.

BBC Big Sceens:  
Find BBC Big Screens at General Gordon Square in Woolwich and Walthamstow Town Square, where you can watch Paralympic coverage for free.

Broadgate: 
There will be big screens showing the Ceremony in each of the three pedestrianised piazzas around Broadgate in the City.

Jimmy’s Supperclub at Annex East:
The popular pop-up in Stratford is hosting an Opening Ceremony party. For £42 you can enjoy a sparkling wine reception, live music, and all the action live on the big screen whilst you tuck in to 5 delicious courses.

The Sporting Page:
This popular Chelsea pub will be screening daily Paralympic coverage, including the Opening Ceremony.

The Doodle Bar:
The arty Battersea bar will be screening the Opening Ceremony. Bring a pencil and doodle while you watch the spectacle!

The Rose Theatre:
The café of this Kingston theatre contains a large plasma screen where you can watch the Opening Ceremony.

More about the London 2012 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony

Masterminded by British director Danny Boyle, who is famous for films such as Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire and 28 Days Later, the Olympic Opening Ceremony looks set to be a colourful celebration of English life.

Entitled Isles of Wonder after a line from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the ceremony will see the stadium transformed into a rural idyll that features grass, giant maypoles and flowers that represent each British nation. There will even be clouds that will produce rain if the English weather is not obliging!

The striking vista will be populated by morris dancers, families having picnics, villagers playing cricket and a menagerie of farm animals that includes 12 horses and 70 sheep. Music will be integral to the ceremony and there will be a pre-recorded score from Underworld as well as live music from famous faces.

Two mosh pits will also be created at either end of the arena, one themed around the Last Night of the Proms and one around Glastonbury Festival. These will be filled with ticket holders, although details of how to obtain tickets have not yet been announced.

A 23-tonne bell, which is the largest harmonically-tuned bell in the world and was cast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, will be rung to open the ceremony.

It has been reported that the show will evolve to display more of Britain’s urban scenery but in any case, with a cast of 10,000 that has already done 157 rehearsals, it should be nothing short of spectacular.

What do you think of the plans so far?

If you’ve always dreamt of being on stage, here’s your chance to perform at the greatest show on earth, in front of a global audience of up to one billion people!

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) is searching for adult volunteers to perform at the Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies next year.

Artistic Director Danny Boyle is searching for 10,000 performers from many different disciplines, including acting and dancing, to take part in the spectacular ceremonies at the Olympic Stadium. No previous performance experience is required – just lots of enthusiasm, positivity and energy.

Applicants will attend two auditions in November and December and must be prepared to invest significant rehearsal time from March 2012 in the run up to the Games. All rehearsals will take place in East London.

To apply for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, register at www.london2012.com/ceremoniescasting. The deadline for applications is 31 August.

Its triangular design has been inspired by the three significant trios behind the London 2012 Olympic Games. These include:

• the three Olympic values of respect, excellence and friendship
• the UK has hosted the Olympic Games three times
• the vision for the London 2012 Olympic Games to combine three strands of work – sport, education and culture

The torch was designed by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby and engineered and built by British firms Tecosim and The Premier Group.

It’s 80cm high, made of aluminium and weighs just 800g, making it one of the lightest in the history of the Olympic Movement. The gold torch is perforated by 8,000 small cut-out circles, representing the 8,000 different Torchbearers and their stories of personal achievement.

The circular holes, which run the length of the torch, mean people can see right into the heart of the object – and they’re practical too, helping keep the torch cool.

The 70-day Olympic Torch relay will take in most of the UK ahead of next year’s Games.

The relay starts at Land’s End on 19 May and travels 8,000 miles before arriving at the Olympic Stadium on 27 July for the lighting of the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony.

We think it looks rather classy – what do you think?

Today marks just 18 months to the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

To celebrate the landmark date, two of the UK’s sports stars are urging people to sign up for tickets.

Gold medal hopeful Phillips Idowu urged the public to get behind Team GB.

“I’m from East London so it’s literally my home Games. It’s the perfect opportunity to win that gold medal and I hope people from across the country will sign up to come cheer on my teammates and I.”

England Cricketer and recent Ashes hero Alastair Cook went on an exclusive tour of the Olympic Park recently to join the campaign to get people to sign up.

“London 2012 will be a once in a lifetime opportunity, the Olympic Games is the biggest sporting event in the world and whether you’re an athlete or a fan you don’t want to miss out. It’s really important that people sign up for tickets; you won’t get this chance again so go online today and register.

“Having great support behind you makes a big difference, I’ve experienced it myself in England as well as with the Barmy Army abroad and it really spurs you on. Having the stands packed full of British fans will hopefully inspire Team GB.”

There are 6.6 million tickets available via the ticket application process for the Olympic Games. Details of tickets for the Paralympic Games will be announced later this year.

Tickets go on sale on 15 March: register now at www.tickets.london2012.com

Danny Boyle, director of hit films like Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting, and Artistic Director of the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games loved the show on 31 December.

He was so impressed, he’s thinking of using a similar firework display for the Opening Ceremony.

“The fireworks at New Year’s Eve were amazing, weren’t they? There was this big debate, should there be fireworks [at the opening ceremony] or not because they’re not very green. I’m sure they will after New Year.” 

If you’re a fan of Boyle’s work, don’t miss his new film, 127 Hours which opens this week in London, or check out his first play for the National Theatre, Frankenstein from February.

Boyle, who won an Oscar for directing Slumdog Millionaire, is to direct the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

And Stephen Daldry, director of hit films such as Billy Elliot and The Reader, as well as theatrical successes like An Inspector Calls and Billy Elliot The Musical, will be one of the four key executive producers of the opening and closing ceremonies for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

As the creative production lead, Daldry is joined by a strong team of talent on the executive production team:

• Mark Fisher, the concert, theatre and Beijing 2008 Games designer as executive producer for design
• Grammy and Bafta-award nominated TV director Hamish Hamilton, who’ll lead on broadcast
• Catherine Ugwu, producer of the 2006 Asian Games and the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games as executive producer for production

Daldry said, “Myself and my co-executive producers will ensure there is creative continuity across all four ceremonies, that the public have real engagement and that we continue to attract into key roles the best talent in the world. I’m delighted to be part of the team.”

Speaking on Radio 4′s Today programme this morning, a very chirpy Danny Boyle said his job was “to provide a thrilling, enthralling, captivating evening.”

“Hopefully it’ll take its place in the list of openings, but it’ll be a new beginning as well.”

If you can’t wait til then, don’t forget Danny Boyle is making his National Theatre debut this winter, directing a new production of Frankenstein.

What will you be up to in three years’ time? A different job? A new house? Will your kids be starting school / deciding to go to university? It seems like a long time away…

And yet, three years today, London will be hosting the opening ceremony to the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Exciting stuff!

The London Paralympic Games represent a chance for London to deliver a spectacular sporting showcase for Paralympic sport, to challenge stereotypes, and to increase awareness about paralympic sports.

The London 2012 Paralympic Games in numbers:

• 11 days of competition
• 20 sports
• 20 competition venues
• 21 disciplines
• 162 paralympic nations
• 471 events
• 4,200 athletes

As well as ensuring all Olympic venues are as inclusive and accessible as possible, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG), are also looking at all aspects of accessibility in London, to make sure that spectators with disabilities are able to move around the city comfortably and easily.

More on accessibility in London