The skyline lit up with breath-taking fireworks and theswanky Olympic stadium was virtually transformed into a jukebox as some ofBritain's biggest pop stars and singers performed in an engrossing 'after showparty'.
At the end of a three-hour ceremony, the Olympic flame wasceremoniously extinguished, marking the end of the 17-day sporting extravaganzawhich saw many Olympic and world record being re-written and many new heroesemerging.
More than 10,500 athletes from 204 nations took part in theGames staged in this historic city for an unprecedented third time.
US and China predictably emerged as the powerhouses bytaking the first and second spots in the medals tally while hosts Britainproduced their best-ever show to take the third position. India too had theirmoments of glory at the Olympic Games as it notched up its best ever medaltally of six.
Similar to the opening ceremony, Britain again showcased itsrich music repertoire combined with some stunning visual and lighting effectsat the closing ceremony watched by an estimated two billion global audience.
Billed as the biggest 'after show party', the Spice Girlsappeared atop London's black taxis singing some of their chart-bursting numbersand there were others such as The Who, George Michael, Muse and Ed Sheeran whoenthralled the capacity crowd of 80,000 who thronged the stadium.
The closing ceremony celebrated the achievements of athletesat the Games and also saw London handing over the baton to Rio de Janeiro,which is hosting the 2016 Games.
The Ceremony provided an opportunity for the world to viewthe creative expressions of Artistic Director Kim Gavin, his team and theculture of United Kingdom.
The Closing Ceremony, titled 'A Symphony of British Music',celebrated the fact that music has been one of Britain's strongest culturalexports over the last 50 years.
More than 4,100 performers, including 3,500 adult volunteersand 380 school children from the six East London Host Boroughs, took part inthe ceremony.
The ceremony began with a show depicting a journey through aday in the life of the city -- from early morning rush to glittering sunset.
Singer Emeli Sande was driven around the track in anewspaper rubbish truck, singing "read all about it". Soon JulianLloyd Webber could be seen playing cello.
The figure of former PM Winston Churchill, played by TimothySpall, then appeared with his cigar and proclaimed words from Shakespeare's TheTempest.
Michael Caine then appeared on the big screen and his voicefrom the iconic British film "The Italian Job" echoed around thestadium, followed by the exploding doors of a car.
As the Beatles' "A Day in the Life" came to anend, the central knot of roads, traffic and buildings pulled apart in adramatic burst.
British-Irish boy band 'One Direction' performed 'What MakesYou Beautiful', followed by a performance of percussion group 'Stomp'. Thirtygymnasts from 'Spellbound' then performed on and around the buildings, dressedas a gang of clown-headed city businessmen. British rock band 'Kinks' also hadtheir moment, performing the 'Waterloo Sunset' song.
After the initial concert, the flag-bearers of theparticipating delegations, including India's bronze medal winning woman boxer MC Mary Kom, entered the Stadium in single file, closely followed by theathletes.
At the Closing Ceremony, athletes marched together, not bynationality. This was a tradition that began at the Melbourne 1956 OlympicGames and is a way of bringing the athletes of the world together as 'onenation'.
