THE TELEGRAPH: Libya is planning a celebrations on the scale of the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the coup that brought Colonel Gaddafi to power.
If anything, the superlatives will be even greater as Beijing 2008 did not boast the world's largest tent, 1,000 camels, Toureg nomads or 40 hot air balloons.
Performers are being flown in from all over the planet, from dancers and fireworks specialists to a brass band from Wales.
The giant tent, and the stage within it, longer than a football pitch, are being built by a British special events company, Atlantic Enterprise.
The director is a Frenchman and the party is being put together by a public relations company run by the British government's one-time favourite ad-man.
"Everything is bespoke for this event," said Atlantic's managing director, Shane McCarthy. "Nothing like this has ever been done before."
Organisers are expecting 300,000 Libyans to watch the show being put on next Tuesday to mark the anniversary live, with more on television.
After congregating in Libya's capital Tripoli, newly whitewashed and decorated with Gaddafi posters, hundreds of VIP guests will enjoy an evening buffet.
They will then be escorted into a smaller version of the open Bedouin tent, 130 yards by 45 yards, by 27 yards tall, in which the pageant will take place. Once they are joined by Col Gaddafi himself, the show will begin.
The scale will be vast. Four hundred performers, helped by a crew of 1,100, will lay on a pageant of Libya's history: as centre of Phoenician trade, of Roman civilisation and Arab learning.
Mr McCarthy said the firm was using 15 Antonov aircraft to fly in 8,000 tons of equipment. There would be 100 tons of equipment on the stage itself.
Reference will be made to Libya's period as an Italian colony. But Italy is now one of Libya's closest friends and the "Frecce Tricolori" or Tricolor Arrows, Italy's answer to the Red Arrows, will be joining the celebrations. >>> Richard Spencer | Friday, August 28, 2009
