Recently updated on March 31st, 2022 at 03:15 pm
The past 17 days have seen a whirlwind of world-class athleticism, fantastic sportsmanship and spine-tingling performances. After a year’s delay, it’s safe to say the Tokyo Olympics has more than lived up to its expectations. From 13-year-old skateboarding medalists to the first ever gold medal for the Philippines, there’s been no end to world records. So it goes without saying, with an Olympics as triumphant as Tokyo 2020/1, we can definitely expect a fantastic closing ceremony to finish on.
Can’t wait for the finale? Here’s something to whet your appetite… the best Olympic closing ceremonies in history!
London 2012 Olympics
Thrilled audiences from around the world saw the very best of British pop culture at London’s 2012 closing ceremony. Our personal highlight? The long-anticipated Spice Girls reunion. The girl band that single-handedly dominated the British pop scene in the 1990s and created a worldwide ‘Spiceworld’ phenomenon. And here they were back on home turf, whipping up the audience into a frenzy with a rendition of their biggest hits – “Wannabe” & “Spice Up Your Life”. It’s not just Brit pop the world celebrated either, with Queen’s guitarist Brian May getting the crowd up and stomping to a stadium-shaking “We Will Rock You”. Is there a better way to celebrate Britain’s glorious musical lineage than Scary Spice & Queen? We think not.
Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics
In their spectacular 2016 closing ceremony, Brazil threw the biggest carnival party imaginable, with billions around the world tuning in to sing and dance the night (or day) away. Included in their musical repertoire was the legendary “Cidade Maravilhosa”, the carnival march that best represents Rio’s national anthem. It was this particular song, accompanied by drummers and powerhouse singers, that saw the whole stadium erupt in boisterous cheers and joyous samba dancing.
However, whilst there were many memorable moments in Rio’s closing ceremony, one signature moment stands out the most. During the symbolic handover to the next host city, audiences witnessed Japan’s famous anime and games characters come to life in a colourful video montage. As the video came to the end, the camera panned to the stage where Mario’s iconic green tunnel emerged from beneath the ground. And from there, who should pop out but Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe!
A true stroke of genius which you can watch in the video below:
Beijing 2008 Olympics
As anyone who watched the Beijing opening ceremony would know, China’s ability to put on a spectacular show is unparalleled. During the 2008 closing ceremony, audiences saw two hundred drummers come together in perfect synchronisation, to the backdrop of several acrobats dancing mid-air. And then, as if it couldn’t get more impressive, a thousand glittering performers sung & front-flipped their way onto the stage. Now if that isn’t multi-tasking, we don’t know what is.
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Sydney 2000 Olympics
Around 2.4 billion people watched Sydney’s Olympic closing ceremony, which followed what the Committee president called “the best [Olympic] games ever”. Never one to miss a good party, the city of Sydney celebrated the end of the Olympics with a toast to the finest of Australiana. We’re talking about an all-dancing, all-singing parade of cultural icons, with Paul Hogan as Crocodile Dundee and the Bananas in Pajamas being particularly notable characters. And of course, no Aussie party is complete without the Queen of Pop – Kylie Minogue – performing some of her biggest dance hits.
And it doesn’t end there! Just as the party was coming to a close, the skies were suddenly illuminated with the biggest fireworks display the world had ever seen at the time. A dazzling 25-minute show that started from the Olympic Park and stretched all the way across to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Talk about finishing with a bang, eh?
Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics
Skating pandas, K-pop megastars, and musical child prodigies. That pretty much sums up the sensational Winter Olympics closing ceremony in South Korea. Kicking of the show was 13-year old guitarist Yang Tae-hwan with his metal-inspired rendition of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Then, a more modern nod to South Korea’s music scene with international K-pop stars CL & EXO performing “I Am The Best” & “Power”.
No closing ceremony is complete without a show-stopping finale either… Cue the enormous snow globe! With a gigantic puff of snowflakes, the Olympic flame was extinguished and yet another brilliant year of games came to an end. Bring on Beijing 2022 we say.
Which of these Olympic closing ceremonies was your favourite? Let us know down below in the comments!