A lavish opening ceremony for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is set to take place on The Mall – right outside Buckingham Palace – on the evening of May 29 ahead of the opening fixture between hosts England and South Africa at The Oval on May 30.
The Opening Party will feature a live global TV broadcast between 5-6pm BST and a select group of lucky fans will attend the event to enjoy live music, sport and entertainment.
With the tournament beginning at 10:30 am BST on May 30, organisers were reluctant to hold an opening ceremony per se, so sought an iconic London venue that would resonate with a world audience.
“The Opening Party will capture the very essence of what makes this tournament so special and will be hugely exciting for the fans that are lucky enough to attend but also across broadcast we will show the world what they have to look forward to over the next 45 days of cricket action.
“The Mall, with Buckingham Palace in the background, is synonymous with some of the biggest events held in the UK and is instantly recognisable to everyone around the globe. It will be a fitting celebration of a World Cup, cricket and sport with diversity at its core,” Steve Elworthy, the World Cup’s managing director was quoted as saying by the ICC.
The World Cup, which features 10 teams, will take place across 11 venues from May 30 to July 14, with the semi-finals at Old Trafford in Manchester and Edgbaston in Birmingham and the final at Lord’s.
