The Paralympic Games end tonight with a "Festival of Flame" that brings Britain's entire super summer of 2012 to a close. From an Olympic Torch Relay, that covered 8,000 miles in 70 days, through the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, a popular and successful Olympics and the most successful Paralympic Games ever (2.5 million tickets sold and athletes from 165 countries participating), communities all over Britain have taken in part in London 2012.
Tonight's closing ceremony, carried locally on Channel 4 from 8:30p.m. GMT and streamed live to the rest of the world on the International Paralympic Committee website, will be headlined by Coldplay. One of its themes will be the calendar of colorful festivals that the UK is particularly known for.
Within a month or so, that festival season segues from music and arts festivals to some of the best fire festivals in the world, including:
- Up Helly AA,(pictured here)
- Guy Fawkes, aka Bonfire Night
- The Burning of the Clocks, in Brighton
- and the biggie, Edinburgh Hogmanay
I wonder how many super celebrations we'll be reminded of tonight. Tune in to count them off or start making plans to take part as the fall and winter festival season unfolds.
PhotoŠJeff J Mitchell/Getty Images