The closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Paralympics, also known as The Festival of the Flame, was held on 9 September at the Olympic Stadium in London. Kim Gavin (who also directed the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics) served as director for the ceremony, while Stephen Daldry served as its executive producer. The ceremony was themed around festivals and the four seasons, with the artistic programme being set to performances by British band Coldplay. The band were joined by guests such as the British Paraorchestra, Rihanna, and Jay-Z.
In a formal handover ceremony, the Paralympic flag was passed from Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, to Eduardo Paes, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, the host city of the 2016 Summer Paralympics. During his closing speech, International Paralympic Committee president Philip Craven congratulated London for hosting "the greatest Paralympic Games ever." Following the official closure of the Games, the Paralympic cauldron was extinguished by swimmer Eleanor Simmonds and sprinter Jonnie Peacock.
Production
Kim Gavin, who also directed the closing ceremony of the Summer Olympics just a few weeks prior, would serve as the director for the ceremony. The ceremony's overlying theme was the gathering of people in celebration, honouring the many seasonal festivals that have been held throughout Great Britain's history. Coldplay's lead singer Chris Martin was enthusiastic about his band's prominent role in the closing ceremony, and promised that their act would "close London 2012 in style." Both Gavin and executive producer Stephen Daldry contended that the closing ceremony would not just simply be a Coldplay concert, promising "fantastic visuals and amazing stunts" throughout.
Charles Hazlewood's British Paraorchestra (a 17-piece orchestra of musicians with disabilitiesthe first of its kind in the United Kingdom), made appearances during the closing ceremony; performing alongside Coldplay and also performing the Paralympic anthem. Hazlewood campaigned for the Paraorchestra to be included in the ceremonies of the Paralympics, as he felt that their inclusion could help spread international awareness for disabled musicians.
Performance synopsis
Pre-show
In order for all the athletes to enjoy the show in its entirety, all athletes entered the stadium together before the start of the ceremony to take their seats. A group of silver-coloured "dreamers" then took to the field on a set of pedal powered vehicles that doubled up as musical instruments. Some of the dreamers kept falling asleep, but they eventually managed to inflate three crescent moons which were lifted from the ground and suspended, forming the Agitos. None of the pre-show was broadcast on television. The Dreamers remained on the field, asleep until the official start of the Closing Ceremony.
Windstorm
The closing ceremony opened with a film called "The Book of Fire" by director Mike Christie showing "eccentric travellers" from around the city making their way to the Olympic Stadium in steampunk-inspired vehicles prepared by the performance art group Mutoid Waste Company. At the end of the film, a group of Wind Gremlins drove into the stadium on custom-built motorbikes with huge fans on the front. The wind awakened the Dreamers from their sleep, and they struggled to fend off the Gremlins' attack while keeping the Agitos in place. In the end the Dreamers were unable to hold on, and the Agitos float away with one of the Dreamers still clinging on to them. At that point, performers carrying flares entered the field of play to the rescue of the Dreamers.
Raising of the Flag
A horse-like vehicle entered and was followed by the Human Endeavour machine pulled by a team from Help for Heroes. When the team reached the sundial stage a flagpole was erected with the combined effort of the men from the team. Captain Luke Sinnott (who lost both of his legs and an arm in an explosion on-duty in Helmand, Afghanistan, and aimed to compete in sailing at the 2016 Summer Paralympics) proceeded to climb the pole (representing human endeavour) to fly the Union Flag. At the same time 54 drummers carrying flaming poles on their backs marched onto the field to form the Agitos. Just as Sinnott reached the top of the flag pole, Prince Edward and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president Philip Craven were driven through the Agitos on the field in an art car built from the body of a military vehicle and a 1930s automobile. Blind and autistic singer Lissa Hermans performed the British national anthem "God Save the Queen" (which she also performed as a charity single for the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II).