Can-can dancers, a French Air Force flyover, a pop-up Eiffel Tower, cutting edge music and a mosaic of all 24 competing teams … UEFA EURO 2016 was given an absorbing lift-off at Stade de France on Friday night.
There had been so much colour, such a carnival atmosphere inside and outside the stadium in the hours leading up to the kick-off, that creative director Julie Brassard’s show was in danger of playing second fiddle.
However, it certainly didn’t disappoint and a month-long festival of football was ushered in with a beautifully understated, cultural introduction celebrating all things French … and also …