Themes and content of the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony: A comparison between pre-Games perspectives of British residents and actual ceremonial elements

Abstract

The focus of this paper is the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. More specifically, this article examines the pre-Games views of a sample of 301 British residents (57.8% male, 42.2% female; age range: 18–65 years) on imagined themes and content of the Opening Ceremony. In addition, the paper discusses the perceptions of cultural identity, i.e. ‘Britishness’ of the surveyed population. The link between the imagined and actual representation of cultural elements is analysed to investigate the importance of local residents’ perspectives in the planning of the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The paper also argues residents’ perceptions of contemporary culture in Britain as “an amalgamation of British and ethnic minority cultures” and its impact on shaping the meaning of ‘Britishness’. The findings of this study propose important managerial implications for planning of Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies while they may also be useful in planning of other national events. Cultural performances which highlight the mainstay feature of a country help to develop a realistic and accurate national identity to international audiences which could potentially increase tourism visits.