News A celebration awash with music and colour, the Rio 2016 Olympic Ceremony at the Maracanã was a fitting tribute to the Cidade Maravilhosa and a perfect curtain-raiser to the first Olympic Games in South America Scene-by-scene: understanding the opening ceremony The culmination of the festivities came with the iconic lighting of the Olympic cauldron by Brazilian Olympic marathon runner, Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima Vandelei Cordeiro de Lima lights the Olympic cauldron at the Rio 2016 opening ceremony at the Maracanã (Photo: Getty Images/Jamie Squire) Brazilian officials were keen for this to be a small and low-emission cauldron, a reminder to reduce global warming caused by fossil fuels and greenhouse gases The smaller Olympic flame is framed by impressive kinetic sculpture created by artist Anthony Howe (Photo: Getty Images/Cameron Spencer) Renowned for his kinetic wind sculptures, artist Anthony Howe said he was inspired by life in the tropics, using expressive shapes, like coconut trees and palm trees, to design the cauldron Fireworks celebrate the lighting of the Olympic cauldron on Olympic Boulevard in Candelária (Photo: Getty Images/David Ramos) Another, similar cauldron was placed in the Candelária district of downtown Rio where the recently constructed Olympic Boulevard has been created Opening ceremony: heart of Brazil's musical heritage reveals deeper message The idea was to provide an opportunity for people to experience the Olympic cauldron up close and to create a focal point in the centre of Rio during the Games Open from 5 August to 28 September, the Olympic Boulevard has big screens showing all the action from the Games, plus over 100 live shows, firework displays, food trucks and even a hot-air balloon The cauldron will remain lit with a small flame until the end of the Games and will be extinguished at the same time as the cauldron inside the stadium Check out the full Olympic Boulevard schedule and interactive map