National Stadium

10 Best Olympic Opening Ceremonies Of All Time, Ranked

On August 8, 2008, the Bird’s Nest, officially Beijing National Stadium, hosted an Opening Ceremony that many regard as the best ever, dropping jaws with its sheer scale and precision. The show offered acrobats tumbling Cirque-style on a 60-foot suspended planet, black-clad dancers painting Chinese characters across giant scrolls like living pens, and smiley-face fireworks, all delivered with meticulously choreographed spectacle. It also generated a Communist Party micro-scandal when it emerged that Lin Miaoke, seen singing ‘Ode to the Motherland’, had mimed to another little girl’s recording after a Politburo member decided the real singer’s voice was good but she wasn’t photogenic enough, and the entire extravaganza reportedly cost around $100 million. - Joel Meares