After Tuesday night's final rehearsal, more details about tomorrow night's grand spectacle are starting to emerge, but we're not talking about another secretly recorded video. According to a recent press conference, British opera singer Sarah Brightman is going to team up with the deep-voiced Chinese singer Liu Huan to belt out the mystery Olympic theme song, fortunately, it won’t be a re-working of the traditional Jasmine Flower (Molihua) song, Tan Dun and Robert Wells have already got dibs on that for the musical accompaniment to the award ceremonies. Details about how they'll light the flame (we're guessing something hi-tech as the flame goes in to hiding at about noon) and who will be carrying the flag for the Chinese athletes as they enter the stadium – Yao Ming, who held the flag aloft in 2004 claims it ain’t him - still remain a mystery. Organizers are not 100% sure about the weather, but they think it might rain in the afternoon and hopefully will be clear when the ceremony begins at 8pm - not the widely reported 8.08pm. For complete details take a look at the full text of yesterday's press conference.

However, it still seems that no one has a good idea of the best place to go to witness the big show – or if they do, they're not sharing. Given that most Beijingers (including us) won't have to go to work tomorrow (although the hard working folks over at the marriage registry offices will be busy helping 16,400 couple tie the knot from 6am onwards), you'll at least have a bit of extra time to work out the details of your opening ceremony plan of attack. The perfect arrangement should allow you to admire all the details of Zhang Yimou's lavish production on the TV, get up close to Cai Guoqiang's awesome fireworks display and also to get out and enjoy the atmosphere on the street before heading on to some decadent after party. We're not sure if it's possible to achieve all of these aims, but here are some tips on the best place to go for each:

Television Coverage

Given the multiple road closures and traffic restrictions in place for the event it might just be a good idea to stay at home and watch it on the TV. If that sounds a little boring and you want to get out of the house, you might have to rely on public transport (which will be staying open all night on the 8th) or pedal power to get you around. Therefore it might be a good idea to go with the sedentary option of forking out some cash to reserve a spot at one of the many venues around town that are offering meal and drink deals with their screening of the ceremony. Our picks of the bunch are:

Tim's Texas Roadhouse

Will hold an Olympic Opening Ceremony party at which they’ll light the Roadhouse Torch (BBQ pit) at 5pm. Olympic-long specials on American microbrews launch. Selected brews include Rogue Amber Ale, Red Seal, and Kona Longboard. Free. 5pm.

Goose ‘N’ Duck Pub

They’ll be screening the ceremony with both English and Chinese commentary (feed from Ben’s Sports). You’ll need to be quick to book a place.

Bed Bar

Screening and The first of Bed's One Night in Beijing series, which will see eight Acupuncture DJs spin on each of the first eight nights of the Olympics. Should also be an ok spot to view the fireworks being let off at Drum Tower (Gulou). Free. 9pm.

Song

You can watch the extravaganza on Song's big screen. Bookings still available see their facebook page for more details.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=21941072669

Paddy O'Sheas– Booked out already

but for future reference, they’ll be screening English language coverage of the games via ESPN (we didn’t realize they had rights).

Frank's Place – Booked out already

but for future reference, they’ll be screening English language coverage of the games (feed from Ben’s Sports).

The Den – Booked out already

The guy who answered the phone wasn't sure if they'd have English language coverage for the rest of the games, but it's likely they will.

Fireworks

Obviously most of the fireworks are going to be emanating from the Bird's Nest, but there'll also be another 32 "launch sites" around town. However, the majority of these will only involve small bursts of about 10 seconds at 8.03pm. At approximately 11.30pm things will go off, with huge explosions being let off at 5 places along Beijing's central axis (Yongding Men, Tiananmen, Houhai, Tucheng and the Olympic Green) for about 3 minutes. The full list of all 32 sites is provided here and we've done a very rough translation below:

Yongding Men South 永定门南
Yongding Men North 永定门北
Yongding Men North 永定门北侧广场南小花园中心点
Yongding Men North 永定门北侧广场最北端
East of Tianqiao Theater 天桥剧院东侧街心花园广场
West of the Tiantan Local Residents Committee Office 天坛街道办事处西侧路边平台
Xianyukou Hutong in Qianmen 前门东路鲜鱼口胡同附近空地
Southeast of Mao’s Mausoleum (Tiananmen) 毛主席纪念堂东南角空地
Between Zhengyang Men and Mao’s Mausoleum (Tiananmen) 正阳门与毛主席纪念堂中心点空地
Between the place where they raise the national flag and the Workers’ Cultural Palace 人民英雄纪念碑与国旗杆中心点空地
East Gate of Workers' Cultural Palace 劳动人民文化宫东门内空地
The North Gate of the Forbidden City 故宫北门神武门前广场
The South Gate of the Forbidden City 端门国旗护卫队院内
On the West side of Di’anmen Nei Dajie 地安门内大街路西草地
The Fire God Temple by Houhai 前海东侧火神庙门前空地
The Square between the Drum and Bell Towers 钟楼和鼓楼之间停车场
The Park on North Second Ring Road 北二环城市公园空地
Gulou Waidajie 鼓楼外大街东侧工人日报社后院草地
Gulou Waidajie 鼓楼外大街东侧太极华青大楼旁
Gulou Waidajie 鼓楼外大街华戎宾馆旁边路面
China Science and Technology Museum 中国科技馆内空地
Beijing People’s Police College 北京人民警察学院操场
North Gate of Tucheng Park 土城公园北门空地
East side of Beichen Lu 北辰路东侧清洁车辆四厂内
West Gate of the Olympic Center 奥体中心西门外高架桥上
South of the Olympic Center Football Pitch 国奥中心足球场南侧空地
Juyongguan section of the Great Wall 居庸关长城广场

The 5 main areas are:

Yongding Men 永定门
Tiananmen 天安门
Shichahai什刹海
Tucheng 土城
The Olympic Green 奥林匹克森林公园

Given this, aside from visiting a friend who lives in a high-rise apartment with views of the city – where you’ll be able to snap shots like the ones on this blog - or going in with some friends to book a hotel room in the vicinity of the Bird's Nest, you might want to consider checking out a few bars in the Houhai and Gulou area. You'll need to book at Chateau Blanc (they've only got places available downstairs) but you can just drop by the Drum and Bell and Jiangjinjiu Bar to watch the ceremony on TV and then step out to enjoy the fireworks up close at the end. There'll probably also be a decent crowd of locals in and around the square between the two towers.

Obiwan would also be a good place to check out. It's free and they'll have the ceremony up on the big screen but they'll also be hosting a birthday party.

Closer to Tiananmen, you could head to Yin Rooftop where you should be able to hear, if not see, the explosions erupting from Tiananmen. Drinks are pricey and apparently the most elevated areas have been booked out by a couple of embassies, still, it's outdoors, will have big screens and probably a good crowd of Beijing's well-to-do. Reservation recommended.

If you'd planned to go to Coal Mountain (Jingshan Park), we've got bad news – they'll stop selling tickets at 2pm tomorrow and the park will close at 3pm, so give up on any ideas of taking in the fireworks show from there. Colleagues have suggested heading out to Xiang Shan or Badachu to take in the show from the hills to Beijing's west, but given the recent visibility levels, we doubt you'll see much.

On the Street

Bird's Nest

According to yesterday’s press conference, if you want to watch the fireworks, the nearest you can is to be around the 4th Ring Road where you’ll be able to get the best views of the big fireworks display (see image above). However, you'll probably have to use your elbows to see it and as for getting home … good luck. Still, if you want to get among the masses, this is definitely the place to go. Draw backs include the fact that there probably won’t be any big screen in the area broadcasting the ceremony and that tight security might mean that your left stranded behind some barricade far away from the action. A warning for those who think they might be able to catch some good views from the Chinese Ethnic Culture Park (that place with all the weird architecture south of Fourth Ring Road opposite the Bird’s Nest), we called them and they said they'll be closed all day. The Yayuncun TGI Fridays is also closed during the Olympic period.

Live Sites

Each of the city's official 26 live sites or Olympic Cultural Squares will be screening the opening ceremony on big plasma screens. Zhao Dongming, Director of the Beijing Olympics Cultural Activities Office, was quoted in yesterday’s paper as saying that he was "proud to announce that it'll be more convenient to watch the ceremony at the live sites then it will be at home with your family", which means they should be ready to handle the crowds. Most of the live sites are located outside the city proper (there's a rough translation of the full list available here) but the best bet looks like Ditan Park which is likely to have something of a family-friendly vibe. The one at The Place, plastered as it is in commercials, should attract a large crowd which might cause some problems, as from what we can make out, it's not that large. Xidan should also attract a good crowd and is close enough to Tiananmen Square that you should be able to see the fireworks too. Others such as the Millennium Monument and Yuting Cultural Square in Chongwen District are likely to be a little quieter, but at the latter you'll be able to enjoy the Yongdingmen fireworks.

Free event at the Italian Embassy

A few embassies will also be having some events open to the public. At the Italian embassy they'll be putting on free drinks, but maybe not all night, a buffet and showing the ceremony on a large screen inside. Kicks of at 7.30pm, bring your passport.

Tiananmen

Despite Tiananmen Square being the site of a series of public performances throughout the day, it appears that it will be closed open to the public with certain sections closed during the actual ceremony itself. There have also been warnings that police may limit access to the square at any time. Nearby Wangfujing boasts a large TV screen, which should attract a sizable crowd, though it is close to the heavily secured Beijing Hotel, which might cause some problems if the crowds get too big. Also, the newly renovated Qianmen Dajie opened today and would be a great place to view the fireworks from - you could go for a Peking Duck at the recently re-opened Quanjude and take in the fireworks after dinner.

After Party Options

Yen080808

DJs Mickey Zhang, Dio, Yang Bing, Usami, and Eddie Lv spin, with VJ ZTY on visuals. Beijingís most renowned party brand goes head to head with the Opening Ceremony. VIP tickets on sale at Apertivo include a VIP pass and a RMB 100 drink voucher. Standard ticket includes one drink. RMB 100 (advance), RMB 200 (VIP), RMB 150 (door).
9pm. The Star Live (6425 5677)

One Night in Beijing

Suzie Wong’s DJ Chozie and Youdai feature, with support by DJs Une and Danny. Guest vocalist Peyton performs live. For table bookings, contact guests@prefueled.com, or vip@prefueled.com. RMB 100.
8pm. Club P (158 1151 4194)

African Beats

DJs O-Press, OP and Sinvu spin almost every facet of African music. RMB 30.
9pm. Yugong Yishan (6404 2711)

Links and Sources
Sina: Tiananmen Photo