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Now we will introduce a new band on the Brighton indie scene - they're music is fantastic and I reckon this song could do quite well in the contest...
 
It's Fickle Friends with Swim
 

We are in for a treat with another performance from Stomp, this one lifting the atmosphere of the ceremony with drama and combat....
 

 

Now to introduce one of Brighton's most famous landmarks, the Royal Pavillion. It was inspired by Indian architecture and built in the 19th Century. During the Second World War thousands of sick and wounded Indian soldiers were treated in the Pavillion and today this Indian connection lives on.
 

If Brighton's music scene has impressed you so far, there's more of that to come!
 
But the next part of the ceremony is very significant in Brighton. Brighton is a city that is very eco-conscious, it is where the Green Party has their only MP and this environmentally friendly community have come up with an excellent way to reuse waste -  to use it as musical instruments!
 
Yes, the amazing Stomp percussion group were founded in Brighton in the 1990s and here with a domestic recycling performance that is genius in so many ways is Stomp.
 

With some fantastic music already tonight from Birdy and Rhones and the Kooks, it is time for another amazing Brighton band to take to the stage!
 
Please welcome Royal Blood with Figure it Out
 

The scene has been set for this evenings show. Outside the sea is calm, the sun is setting, the illuminations on the pier are being switched on! The city is calm and Brighton is ready for an explosion of music, dance and performce that will declare the contest open.
 
If the delegations are ready, the show shall begin...
 

That was the Parade of Nations, but there is one more obstacle to overcome before competing nations will be fully welcomed to the contest!
 
It is the infamous BRIGHTON BIG BALLS:
 

 
Once our competitors can overcome this challenge then they are truely ready to take on the musical marathon that is the Totallympics Song Contest!

To begin this ceremony we will rise, rise into the skies above the city of Brighton, look out along the Sussex coast, inland to the South Downs and out to the English Channel and mainland Europe and the world beyond.
 

 
But look, now we are at the top of the tallest moving observation tower in the world, the i360, what can we see? In the distance the Irish delegation are boarding a raft leaving the island of St Kilda, we can see the Mexican and Moldovan delegations finishing their hike along Glyndwr's Way, we can see the Lithuania team's hot air baloon landing by the Clifton Suspension Bridge, we can see Potugal at the highest point in Britain and we can see Algeria in a bad mood counting down the seconds until they can leave the Giant's Causeway. 
 
So now is the time to bring the delegations of the world together and welcome the entire Totallympic's community to Brighton. So without further ado, let us welcome the delagtions to Brighton, region by region, welcoming them to the contest with a parade of nations, led by a cultural anthem from their host region.

Well, do you wanna go the seaside?
 
Because that's where Totallympics is heading, to the coastal city and home to the Kooks, it's ....

 

 

Now the ceremony has begun, there may be one question you might be asking yourself ...
 
Where is the Totallympics Song Contest being held in Britain? So far there has been no word on the venue, last year we were in Kaunas and Kosice, so where will we be in Britain?
 
Well, you're net getting the answer to that question too easily, there's a couple of clues that should reveal where this great contest will be held.
 
Clue 1:
This contest has been all about counties so far! So the host county for this contest is....
 

Welcome to the 2017 Totallympics Annual International Song Contest Opening Ceremony!
 
There is only one possible way to open this contest and that is to celebrate the reason why we are here, in Britain, today. That reason is Birdy and Rhodes with their stunning song Let it all go.
 
So everyone enjoy this special performance from last years winners, Birdy and Rhodes....
 

MERSEYSIDE (N)
 
And last but not least, we head to Merseyside and welcome Netherlands @heywoodu and Azerbaijan @il_qar. Both will be staying in Liverpool so enjoy this wonderful city full of culture and some of the friendliest people.
   
Netherlands/Azerbaijan - Liverpool

LONDON (SE)
London, our capital and largest city, will be home to Brazil @titicow @vinipereira and @Federer91. But we will be sending our delegations to parts of London you may not have sene before...
   
Brazil - Camden Town


 
Bulgaria - Clapham


 

THE HIGHLANDS (SCO)
The Highlands is not technically a county, but it is a region of Scotland that is truely stunning. It will be the base for Portugal @kungshamra71 and Croatia @dcro. Portugal we expect a photo from the top, you don't have long to climb it either, so you might want to cheat and take the cable car.
   
Portugal - Ben Nevis (highest point in Britain)


 
Croatia - Dunoon (home of the Highland Games)


 

DYFED (WAL)
Dyfed is a county in South West, that mixes coastal, urban and rural lifestyles into one and will be the base for Malta @Glen and Romania @africaboy
   
Malta - Rural Carmarthen


 
Romania - St Davids (home of the Patron Saint of Wales)


 

Sussex (SE)
Sussex is a county in South East England, also known as Sussex-by-the-sea, and is technically divided into 2 (East and West Sussex - with the City of Brighton and Hove diving the two) and will be home to Serbia @DaniSRB@dareza and @rybak. As this is my home county you'll be treated to two of my favourite spots - so enjoy! With West Wittering do beware - on a sunny day most of the surrounding villages flock to the beach and it can be infested with people - but you shoudl be alright at this time of year. Serbia, your choice of Alfriston is a timy village in East Sussex, but it is beautiful! It is surrounded by rolling hills and the beach is just a few minutes walk down the road - it is one of the most picturesque villages I have ever been to! There is currently a big campaign in the village to stop the council putting in traffic lights as they will ruin the image of the village!
   
Poland - West Witterings



 
Serbia - Alfriston



 

Yorkshire (N)
Yorkshire is one of the largest counties on the country, and is technically divided into 4 (North, West, South and East Riding) and will be home to New Zealand @Wanderer and Iran @MHSN
   
New Zealand - Whitby


 
Iran - York


 

COUNTY ANTRIM (NIR)
County Antrim is located in the North-East of the island of Ireland and will be home to Algeria @bestmen and Germany @catgamer @OlympicsFan
   
Algeria - Giants Causeway

 
Germany - Belfast


 

WEST MIDLANDS (MID)
The West Midlands is a county that covers the West Midlands of the Uk (surprise!), the region is very urban, wit a series of major towns and cities like Birmingham, Coventry and Walsall making up the urban agglomeration.
Birmingham city will be home to Finland @Finnator123 and Canada @intoronto
   
Finland/Canada - Birmingham

Birmingham is the second largest city in the UK, with plenty of room to fit 2 extra residents for a few days! Birmingham is a hub for cultural institutions with a few to highlight being the Birmingham Royal Ballet, the Birmingham Library (shown below) and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts. As well as a strong number of cultural institutions, Birmingham has a strong grassroots cultural scene, with bands like Black Sabbath, Duran Duran and ELO coming from Birmingham.

Who is the brummie you may ask?
Well Brummie is the nickname for the iconic West Midlands accent - however (whilst I like the Brummie accent) opinion polls suggest it is the least favoured of all British accents by UK citizens. You might have heard the accent in people like Julie Walters, Frank Skinner or Ozzy Osbourne! But Canada and Finland will certainly get a flavour for it during their stay!

LANARKSHIRE (SCO)
Lanarkshire is a county that covers part of central Scotland, major cities within the county include Glasgow,
where both Morocco @#MA and Greece @Janakis will be staying.
   
Morocco/Greece - Glasgow

They say People Make Glasgow, and that is probably pretty true! The city itself grew around the River Clyde, with the former ports now regenerated with sports and media venues. In the industrial revolution Glasgow was the world leader in chemicals and shipbuilding and claim to be the "British Empires second city". Now Glasgow is famous for hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and will host the 2018 European Sports Championships (the new rival to the European Games).

 

It's tomorrow.

COMHAIRLE NAN EILEAN SIAR (SCO)
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is a council/county area that covers the Western Isles of Scotland, including the Outer Hebrides, it is a part of Scotland I definitely want to visit, but have never had a chance so I am very jealous of the delegations who get to stay here.
For the next week this county will be home to Tunisia @amen09@tuniscof and Ireland @OlympicIRL, the founders and next host of the contest, maybe they can have a meeting about the future of the contest on the islands!
 
Tunisia - Isle of Lewis (Outer Hebrides)

The Tunisian delegation will make the Isle of Lewis their new home for the coming days. The Isles of Lewis is located at the Northern tip of the Outer Hebrides and therefore, as the picture suggests, the Northern Lights can be seen at certain times of the year from the Island. Also shown in the picture are the Callanish Stones, a ritual site during the Bronze Age, one tradition goes that the stones are petrified giants who refused to convert to Christianity, whilst the history might be disputed they are definitely a maginficant site.

And this is where the Tunisian delegation will be staying, seriously, these ancient houses have been rennovated and are now a holiday accomodation site on the shores of the Atlantic (Garenin blackhouse village), not advised to go paddling in these waters! 
Ireland - St Kilda

 
The beautiful, now uninhabited, Island of St Kilda will be home to Ireland for the coming days. The Island has a sad past, as the last surviving residents were evacuated from the island during WW2 after centuries of human inhabitation. The island itself is now a world heristage site and has a history of Vikings, Druids, raids and resistence. However life on the island is incredibly challenging, as brutal storms can strike the island.

 
St Kilda may not have many humans left, but that has been more than replaced by wildlife! Thousands of seabirds flock to the island as a breeding ground, but because of the salt spray and strong winds, no trees grow on the island. We hope a storm doesn't trap the most sucsessful TISC nation of all time on the island for the grand final, or was that the scheming plan of the hosts all along...
 

I can't say I'm surprised, but it's always sad to see a country withdraw. In this case, however, that was Russia's own doing. They knew what they were planning and with the intent on making Ukraine look bad next to them. But Russia won't get all of the blame. The EBU dropped the ball on this issue big time. They were in the position to at least mitigate this situation, but decided not to. So, while I have little hope Ukraine and Russia will change their ways, I'm certain the top guns from the EBU and Eurovision will find themselves out of the job come this summer.

CORNWALL (SW)
Cornwall is located on the South Western most tip of the UK, with the landmark of Lands End, which marks the most westerly part of the UK.
For the next week this county will be home to Slovakia @hckosice and Slovenia @justony, it was a pairing that was too good to miss, hopefully it doesn't confuse the Cornish people as much as it seems to confuse the UK media!
 
Slovakia - Scilly Isles

There is a long journey in store for the Slovakian delegation, but it is totally worth it! The Scilly Isles, located 45km off the coast of Cornwall, have been compared with Caribbean Islands for their white sand and blue sea beaches. The archipeligo contains 150 islands, of which 5 are inhabited, with the main island being St Mary's island. The biodiversity of the Scilly Isles is unique from the UK mainland, due to the complex climate and more than half of the Islands have been decalred Sites of Special Scientific Interest. But the Isles are not just a tranquil paradise, the Western Rocks are known as the graveyard, as many ships have been destroyed by the rocks, British, German and American ships have all come a cropper against the rocks of Scilly.

In fact there have been more shipwrecks around the shores of Scilly than anywhere else in the world! The World Pilot Gig Championships are held in the Scilly Isles every year and they will take place this weekend, just in time for the Slovakian delegation to take a look. These small boats would guide bigger ships through the treacherous waters years ago, and the tradition has continues in the form of a competition. We are going to enter the delegation as a beginner Slovakian team into the Championships for the first ever time and see how they get on, as long as they stay upright that will be a success! Here's a look at gigging:

Slovenia - St Ives

 
The traditional fishing town of St Ives will be home to the Slovenian delegation for the next week, a town that has twie been named the Best UK Seaside Town. At the peak of the fishing industry over 120 million fish were brought through St Ives! But Team Slovenia beware, St Ives is a hotspot for shark sightings, in 2007 a Great White Shark was reportedly spotted off the coast and in 2011 there was a suspected sighting of an Oceanic whitetip shark, both claims have been disputed, but nevertheless Slovenia need to watch their toes if they go in for a paddle!

 
Art is very important in St Ives culture, with a St Ives branch of the Tate Gallery being established here. In particular, scuplture is important with famous artists like Barbara Hepworth and Naum Gabo being based here who were pioneers in modern sculpture. The sculpture garden at the Barhara Hepworth Museum is certainly worth a visit.
 

COUNTY LONDONDERRY (NIR)
County Londonderry is located in Northern Ireland and has the motto - help comes from the Lord - a reminder of the strong Catholic community in this part of Northern Ireland.
For the next week this county will be home to Indonesia @Griff88 and France @Benolympique@Bohemia, with the nations enjoying contrasting urban/rural experiences.
 
Indonesia - Londonderry

The city of Londonderry, often known as Derry, on the banks of the Foyle river will be home to the Indonesian delegation for the coming days. Derry remains the only completely intact walled city in Ireland and these walls were bult in the 17th Century by the English and Scottish as defences. The city is often called The Maiden City, because the city walls have never been breached, despite a 105 day attempt in 1689.

Derry was also where The Troubles in Northern Ireland began, with the Battle of the Bogside, but it was also part of the end, as many historians think a ceasefire was negotiated in Derry before any national agreement was reached. The city is also home to 1 of 15 World Peace Flame Monuments, that was unveiled by Martin Luther King's son and was lit by children from both communities.
Derry has also become a hotspot for culture, after being UK Capital of Culture in 2013. One of these events is the Big Tickle Comedy Festival that has attracted big names like Dara O Briain over the years. We hope that Indonesia will be able to enjoy some comedy whilst they are here, but they may need to listen well as the accent can be quite thick in these parts!
France - Binevenagh Mountain

 
Team France will be based at Binevenagh Mountain, which has been used as a filming location for Game of Thrones. The mountain has a highest point of nearly 400m and has been classified as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The mountain is commonly used for Air Sports like Gliding and fishing, as an artificial lake at the top of the mountain is a popular destination for trout fishermen.
 
The mountain is a popular destination for walkers and we hope the French delgation enjoy the amazing views from the peak of the mountain, but they'll need to muster the energy to climb the mountain first!
For those of us not lucky enough to be based at Binevenagh, here is a little taster of what it is like...