Yesterday saw the arrival on site at Sunderland Aquatic Centre of some of the world class companies and performers who will be involved in delivering the spectacular event and of some of the local dancers and performers who will be taking part.

The massive, free celebration featuring large scale light projections, fireworks, outdoor theatre, dancers and imaginative special effects is taking place at 8.45 pm on the evening of Thursday April 17 and is expected to attract thousands of people from across the North East.

Among the performers involved is aerialist and choreographer Chantal McCormick who will be performing her specially choreographed routine swimming across the night sky 600 foot up in the air from a crane.

The event has been organised by Magnetic Events in collaboration with Sunderland City Council and Culture10 at NewcastleGateshead Initiative.

Said Paul Dobson Director of Community and Cultural Services at Sunderland City Council: "The opening of one of the country's top sporting facilities in Sunderland is very much something to be celebrated.

"The Aquatic Centre will not only offer fantastic facilities for the people of Sunderland but is a unique regional and national sporting venue and we want to share its opening celebrations with as many local people as possible.

"The free outdoor spectacular on April 17 will be of a quality and scale never before seen in the city, featuring stunning, large scale light projections, outdoor theatre, dancers and imaginative special effects using water and fireworks.”

The event is part of North East England’s world class festivals and events programme managed by Culture10 based at NewcastleGateshead Initiative. It is funded by One NorthEast and TyneWear Partnership with additional funding from Sunderland City Council.

Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive of NewcastleGateshead Initiative, said: “Sunderland has a lot to celebrate with this world class facility. This free opening outdoor event will feature performers, light projections, water and fireworks, transforming the new building in a spectacular and truly unique way. We want to encourage people to bring their families and friends along to be part of this historic event and celebrate the region’s sporting excellence. We are proud that it is part of our world-class festivals and events programme for 2008.”

Magnetic Events has an enviable track record for producing outdoor events and memorable, innovative arts productions. Its recent work in the North East has included two, sell out events at Leazes and Saltwell Parks staged as part of the NewcastleGateshead Winter Festival's Enchanted Parks programme.

Some of the large-scale celebrations Magnetic has previously been involved in include the inauguration of the Channel Tunnel, the 2002 Commonwealth Games Cultural Festival and Millennium Celebrations in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Brighton and Oxford.

Said Robin Morley, Director, Magnetic Events: "We have been commissioned by Sunderland City Council to create a unique large scale launch event with wow factor to mark and celebrate the opening of this landmark building."

"I hope everyone who comes to the opening celebrations will go home with the most wonderful memories that will stay with them for many years to come. And I must add, all of this would not have been made possible, without the talented and committed local people working with Magnetic Events as performers, sporting athletes and event organisers behind the scenes."

Magnetic will be working alongside ETC UK, an architectural projections company, which specialises in building sized image projections for national and international events, which has won them world wide recognition for their work. Past projects include the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations at Buckingham Palace and light projections used at the grand opening of the new Eurostar terminal at St Pancras. The projectors being used next Thursday are the self same ones which were used at the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations.

Also taking part is Avanti Display, which specialises in street theatre with shows that combine comedy, surrealism and spectacle. Utilising their creative skills and their trademark of using water in unexpected ways they produce shows with dramatic, often beautiful and comic effects touring the world with their productions. They have previously performed at The National Theatre and Trafalgar Square and recently toured Hydromania to Beijing, China.

World Famous is the internationally acclaimed company of creative pyrotechnicians which will be providing the fireworks that will be able seen for up to a mile away on the night. The company, which works at all scales from huge firework displays to small installations works with leading artists from all fields to provide light and Illumination to the event with a spectacular pyrotechnic performance.

Chantal McCormick, who has choreographed the outdoor spectacular, is co-director of Fidget Feet a pioneering performance company that stretches the boundaries between several art forms, combining spectacular aerial skills with contemporary circus.

She will be working with Amanda Drago choreographer and dancer who will be assisting in rehearsing the dancers taking part at the outdoor event on April 17. Amanda is the Director and choreographer of Falling Cat, a Newcastle resident dance company based at the national dance agency for the northern region, Dance City.

Sunderland Aquatic Centre, which has already been earmarked as a potential training camp for the 2012 Olympics, will be the first 50 metre pool in the North East and the only one between Leeds and Edinburgh.

It will also be the most environmentally friendly pool in the country – filtering and recycling every single drop of water which falls on its roof for re-use in the pool.

With a 10-lane 50-metre main pool, a 25-metre diving pool and seating for 500 spectators the Sunderland Aquatic Centre has the ability to cater for high profile national and regional swimming competitions.

In addition its moveable floors, which can vary the water depth from anywhere between 0 to 2 metres in the main pool and 0 to 4 metres in the diving pool, make it as suitable for toddlers learning to swim as talented swimmers.

And the clever design of the building is such that the 50 metre main pool also has a moveable boom, which allows the pool to be divided up into 4 separate pools to cater for everything from aqua-fit and family fun with inflatables to budding Olympians - all at the same time.

The £20million Aquatic Centre will also be one of the most accessible swimming pools in the country, trailblazing the latest disabled accessible features which mean that everyone will be able to take advantage of its superb facilities.

It will also boast a state-of-the-art wellness centre, delivered in partnership with the city's Teaching Primary Care Trust, where people prescribed exercise by their GPs will be able to take advantage of some of the most advanced technogym equipment in the country, alongside regular gym users.

Within the gym and class programme the wellness centre will provide specialist programmes delivered in partnership with the city’s Teaching Primary Care Trust. So, people prescribed exercise by their GPs will be able to take advantage of some of the facilities, together with regular gym users.

Sunderland Aquatic Centre has been funded by Sunderland City Council, Sport England, European Regional Development Fund, One NorthEast, TyneWear Partnership, Sunderland arc and the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund.

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last updated 15/04/08