Packed with references to the host city’s history and culture, the two-and-a-half-hour opening ceremony marked the start of Britain’s biggest multi-sport event since the London Olympics. Brummie drag queen Ginny Lemon took a starring role in a lemon-shaped hot air balloon, while Duran Duran closed the show with a rendition of their greatest hits as fireworks went off over the newly refurbished Alexander Stadium. Brummie queen Ginny Lemon took a starring role in a lemon-shaped hot air balloon. Photo: Tim Goode/PA “It feels like these games have come at the right time for this city,” said series art director Iqbal Khan. “We are ready to make a statement to the world about ourselves. Birmingham is one of the most exciting places in this country right now and I think it’s a beacon to many places around the world of how you can celebrate and enjoy life with diversity.” The opening ceremony was 18 months in the making, the work of a creative team that included Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight and Super Bowl halftime director Hamish Hamilton. The performers at the opening ceremony. Photo: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Although the Brummies are known for their modesty and understatement when it comes to their city, the performance appeared to mark the start of what has been hailed as a ‘golden decade’ and renewed confidence in the region. Dame Louise Martin, president of the Commonwealth Games Federation, said she believed this year’s event would be “one of the biggest and most important editions of the Commonwealth Games in our 92-year history”. He said: “Our 72 nations and territories are all here and Birmingham looks great. The city and the wider region will be the perfect stage for our athletes to compete.” The opening ceremony followed the journey of Stella and the Dreamers, a group of young athletes from across the Commonwealth, through Birmingham history. Seventy-two red, white and blue cars formed a jackhammer while the Red Arrows flew overhead. Photo: Stoyan Nenov/Reuters The most visually striking element of the show was the raging bull, a giant aluminum and steel puppet built around a forklift-like machine from materials sourced from local factories. It was dragged into the stadium by 50 women representing chain manufacturers since the Industrial Revolution. There was also a troupe of giant puppets portraying local pioneers such as Edward Elgar, William Shakespeare and Samuel Johnson, while another set featured a parade of lorries featuring Birmingham inventions such as pen nibs, police whistles and typefaces Baskerville. “We tried to give everything a head start. The canal water from which the tower rises has an old bicycle and shopping cart,” said set designer Misty Buckley. “There’s a bit of humor and a bit of wit that says, ‘We’re still in Birmingham, we don’t take ourselves too seriously here.’ Seventy-two red, white and blue cars, forming a jackhammer while Red Arrows flew overhead, marked the entrance of Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall, who arrived in a blue Aston Martin DB6 Volante. Malala Yousafzai addresses the crowd. Photo: Alastair Grant/AP Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, who settled in Birmingham after flying to the UK for medical treatment when she was shot by the Taliban, has spoken of her love for her new home, including “the doctors and nurses at Queen’s Hospital Elizabeth’ and ‘The teachers who inspired me’. “Over the next two weeks, as we watch the incredible athletes at the Commonwealth Games, remember that every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential and chase their wildest dreams,” he said. There were appearances from Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and alto saxophonist Soweto Kinch, along with rising Birmingham stars Indigo Marshall and Gambini. They played Hear My Voice, a reworked version of the title track from the 2020 film The Trial of the Chicago 7. Khan said the show was designed to be “an unparalleled show of excellence for live audiences, but also a show that has an ambition that has never been conceived before”. Duran Duran closed the ceremony in Birmingham with some of their hits. Photo: Jason Cairnduff/Reuters Earlier on Thursday, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries raised eyebrows when she told the BBC that the Commonwealth Games were “putting Birmingham on the map”. The city is the second largest in England. Excitement for the Games has been building for months. A new aquatics center in Sandwell opened earlier in the year, while the Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr was refurbished in time for the £72m event, which was awarded to Birmingham in 2017 as a replacement for Durban in South Africa, which was postponed as host. financial concerns. However, there are growing questions about the relevance of the Games in the 21st century and the event’s historical ties to colonialism. The Queen was not present at the opening ceremony due to ongoing mobility issues, so Prince Charles read a message from her to mark the start of the Games. Fireworks explode over the stadium during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. Photo: James Ross/AAP He described Birmingham as “a pioneering city that has attracted and embraced so many throughout its history” and a place that “symbolises the rich diversity and unity of the Commonwealth”. A number of famous athletes appeared to carry the Queen’s baton during the ceremony, including Olympic diver Tom Daley, who ran alongside people from the 35 Commonwealth countries that ban homosexuality. Birmingham stars including Sir Lenny Henry and Joe Lycett also made appearances to introduce the Commonwealth nations. Before introducing competing teams from Asia, Lycett said: “I’m going to do something the British government doesn’t always do and welcome some foreigners.”
