Glasgow and Scotland welcomed the world to the Commonwealth Games with thousands of friendly faces, bagpipes, banter bravado and the best soundtrack ever for a opening ceremony.
More than 1 billion people in 71 Commonwealth nations and territories watched as Rod Stewart got the crowd rocking with a rousing rendition of his hit, Rhythm of My Heart.
Scottish singer Amy Macdonald joined in to help give it a new twist, alongside some unexpected backing singers – hundreds of Glaswegians.
The famous Red Arrows streaked a cloud of red, white and blue above the crowd to welcome The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh as they entered the stadium.
The spectacular ceremony featured more than 1,300 volunteer cast members, ranging from eight to 85 years old respresenting every part of Scotland.
Comedian Karen Dunbar and international film and TV star John Barrowman took the audience on a tongue-in-cheek whistle-stop tour of traditional Scotland.
There were also stunning performances from Nicola Benedetti, Scottish Ballet and talent show superstar Susan Boyle. South African soprano Pumeza brought a truly international edge to the ceremony.
The true stars of the night – the athletes - were invited to take a seat and join in the party by thousands of volunteers who gave the performance of their lives.
Each nation and territory was welcomed into the stadium by traditional Scottie dogs leading the way.
But the nerves got to Commonwealth Games Federation President Prince Tunku Imran when he struggled to open the intricate baton to release The Queen’s message which had travelled the globe for the last 288 days.
It was SSE Ambassador Sir Chris Hoy that came to the rescue, in front of Her Majesty, to ensure her message finally was relayed to the Commonwealth before a spectacular fireworks display that lit up the city skies.
Today marks the start of the sports programme with SSE Next Generation swimmer Rachael O’Donnell in action in the pool and Scotland team captain Eilidh Child meeting fans at SSE’s giant hashtag to tweet their support.