An estimated 60,000-70,000 people turned out to the Cricket World Cup opening ceremony in Christchurch's North Hagley park last night, Radio New Zealand reports.
The event, featuring performances from Hayley Westenra, Ginny Blackmore, Sol3 Mio, and Shapeshifter, was broadcast to millions around the world
The ceremony was one of the biggest hosted by Christchurch since the Canterbury earthquakes, and mayor Lianne Dalziel said it showed the town was back on its feet. "I always thought 2015 would be a turning point for the city," she said.
“It meant a lot, when the decision was made, to have the cricket in Christchurch, to make up for the fact that we lost the Rugby World Cup games. Now, we're hosting the opening night, and also the first game.”
On stage, performers paid tribute to competing nations, including displays of dancing from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and performances of bagpipe music and Irish dancing. The night's entertainment ended with a huge fireworks display.
Therese Walsh, head of the Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, said it was great that everything went smoothly.
“The thing about the night, was everyone in Christchurch wanted it to happen. Everybody was behind it.”
In Melbourne, a crowd of 10,000 gathered to celebrate the World Cup Opening ceremony.
New Zealand's opening game between the Black Caps and Sri Lanka starts at 11am tomorrow at the Hagley Oval. In Australia, the Melbourne Cricket Ground will host Australia and England on Saturday afternoon.