London 2012: Paralympics set for 'festival of flame' send-off
The Paralympic cauldron will be extinguished at tonight's closing ceremony
London will bid an "exuberant" farewell to the 2012 Paralympic Games with a closing ceremony billed by organisers as "a Festival of Flame".
British band Coldplay will lead the show, due to start at 20:30 BST, with a live set reflecting the four seasons.
Athletes will be in the centre of the Stadium at the start, and there will be a tribute to charity Help for Heroes.
The event ends what organisers say has been the most successful event in Paralympic history.
China has finished top of the Paralympic medals table, with 231 medals - 95 gold. Great Britain cemented third place behind Russia, with a tally of 120, including 34 golds.
In other developments on the final weekend of 2012:
- Thousands of spectators cheered GB's David Weir to victory in the wheelchair marathon - his fourth 2012 gold medal.
- Team-mate Shelly Woods took the silver in the women's race
- On Sunday, Brazil's Tito Sena won the T46 marathon, and Alberto Suarez of Spain won gold in the T12 event, breaking his own world record with a time of 2:24:50
- Organisers say some 2.7 million Paralympic tickets have been sold - beating targets by 200,000 and predicted sales by £10m
At the Olympic Stadium
The scene is set for a fitting finale to not just London 2012 but also the Paralympic Games.
The centre of the Stadium is set out with chairs for the athletes, who have been the stars of these Games, and it is fitting that they will be the centre of attention as they sit and watch the show - rather than walking in during the middle.
Youngsters also play a big part in the ceremony - again appropriate with the legacy of both the Paralympics and Olympics starting to come to the front of people's minds.
The show itself promises to be different to the other three ceremonies - "less spangly and more raw" according to artistic director Kim Gavin.
It will end with the extinguishing of the cauldron, which will be an emotional and sad moment for those who have enjoyed London 2012 so much.
GB Paralympians David Weir and Sarah Storey, who each won four gold medals at the Games, will carry the British flag together into the closing ceremony tonight.
"During the London 2012 Paralympic Games, ParalympicsGB has witnessed some outstanding performances, and most notably from Sarah Storey and David Weir," said chef de mission Craig Hunter.
"These athletes represent the spirit of Paralympic athleticism."
Apart from Coldplay's music, Sunday's sold-out ceremony will feature performances by Jay-Z and Rihanna, alongside a cast of around 1,200 performers.
"The idea is the coming together as one," said artistic director Kim Gavin.
"We are known as a nation for having the most festivals, it is something that we do - with 600 festivals a year.
"We pay tribute to the all the human spirit and achievement through this wonderful sport of the last two weeks."
Mr Gavin hinted that would be "a few surprises" and that, "with it being a festival of the flame there will be a lot of flame - and the whole show will be very exciting".
"The Festival of the Flame celebrates the exuberance of festivals and the changing of the seasons," added 2012 organisers Locog.
Some 120 child volunteers from east London are expected to take part in tonight's show, with disabled aerial performers from Circus Scape and The British Paraorchestra.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live earlier on Sunday, organising committee chairman Lord Coe said: "It has been fantastic. We get Paralympics sport in this country. I never really doubted that the Paralympic Games would be anything other than a show-stopper."
On Monday, British stars of the Olympics and Paralympics will celebrate their success during a victory parade through the streets of London.
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