GENESIS - FESTIVAL HALL OPENING TO STAR 18,000 PERFORMERS

London's iconic Royal Festival Hall will be officially re-opened tonight with a special series of events free to the public.

Entitled the Overture, about 18,000 performers will take part in 48 hours of free music, dance, spoken word, film and visual arts.

A special 'lucky dip' concert will be held inside the restored Festival Hall auditorium and a number of free tickets have already been allocated for named concerts inside the renovated structure.

At 22:00 BST tonight a 300-strong choir will take part in the singing river event, travelling from Tower Bridge down the Thames to the Festival Pier. This will also be repeated on Saturday at the same time.

Other highlights include Billy Bragg, who has written a new translation of Schiller's text for Beethoven's 9th Symphony which will be performed by the Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Paul Daniel.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra and Scott Stroman will also be performing in the Ballroom to recreate Lea Anderson's 1998 work Flag.

Jude Kelly, artistic director at the Southbank Centre, said: "The Overture reflects the huge commitment of our resident artists to the vision of a renewed Southbank Centre, still alive to the original creative spirit of the 1951 Festival of Britain, the genesis of the Royal Festival Hall itself.

"So before the gala opening night and all the spectacular concerts which follow, the Overture will provide an historic moment that belongs to every single person in the country."

The 2,788-seater Festival Hall has been renovated with all-new acoustics and more modern aesthetics.