Entertainment guaranteed at opening ceremony

The stage is set for a dramatic opening ceremony at St. Jakob-Park (©Euro 2008 SA)


Every major football tournament is notable for a spectacular opening ceremony to entertain the fans and set the atmosphere for the sporting festival to come.

Heritage and innovation
The concept for the UEFA EURO 2008™ opening ceremony, heralding Saturday's match between co-hosts Switzerland and the Czech Republic at St. Jakob-Park in Basel, comes from artistic director Martin Arnaud and the Auditoire agency. A show that combines heritage and innovation, it brings sport and culture together and celebrates local traditions, while underlining UEFA's universal values: passion, fair play, action, training, fans and victory.

Pixel art
The show will last 13 minutes, stars the Pixmen, and is inspired by modern pixel art, with 600 volunteers holding multi-coloured cubes creating a series of big pictures and landscapes. A total of 976 performers will take part in the ceremony - the majority of these performers are Swiss, but the cast also features volunteer performers from 14 other nations. The oldest volunteer performer is 70 years old, with the youngest being just 14. Most of the performers come from the STV-FSG (Swiss Gymnastic Federation) and the Badischer Tumen Bund (German Gymnastic Federation). The performers include stiltwalkers known as Gangart.

Cubes and colour
The cubes used in the event weigh a combined total of five tonnes. To make the cubes, 12 kilometres of fabric were needed. There are more than 450 possible colour combinations. During preparation and rehearsals, 15,000 bottles of water and more than 5,600 lunch boxes were required as well as over 1,400 sandwiches. The Pixmen's costumes are made of spinnaker fabric. To inflate the costume, a small blower is inserted inside. The props were specially designed for the opening ceremony. To conclude the show, 900 powerful pyrotechnic shots will be fired.

Themes and sounds
The original music was composed by a team of four composers. Among the themes and sounds prevalent at the ceremony will be the alphorns and yodellers so particular to Austria and Switzerland; evocative portrayals of Lake Constance, the banks of which are shared by the co-hosts; the green countryside of Switzerland and Austria and their typical summer scenery; the white magic of an Alpine winter; and the juxtaposition of traditional music, such as a waltz, and modern music signalling the countdown to the action on the field.

Finalists' flags
The grand finale will see 16 children and 16 flags representing each of the 16 participating teams enter the stadium. The children will be led out by Miss Switzerland 2007, Amanda Amman, who is half Swiss and half Czech. Thousands of balloons will be released amid a spectacular firework display, and UEFA EURO 2008™ will be off and running.

Roots and traditions
The final words on an eagerly waited ceremony are left to those producing and creating: "We propose total immersion in the roots and traditions of these great nations. The goal of this ceremony is to stimulate the imagination and leave you free to interpret the scenes taking place on the pitch," explained Arnaud. "We have been working really hard to make this show truly magical and above all – make it happen," added executive producer Philippe Castanet. It promises to be an unforgettable curtain-raiser to three weeks of fantastic football.