THE OPENING ceremony of the Vitality Netball World Cup will be a celebration of the world in one city with a Liverpool twist, organisers have revealed.

Produced and delivered by Culture Liverpool, the opening ceremony for the competition which runs from 12 to 21 July will feature dance, music, projections and pyrotechnics at the M&S Bank Arena.

Set to wow an audience of more than 6,000 people and an international TV audience, the 45-minute display will open on Friday, July 12 with inspirational female voices, signalling a unique parade led by 'Lady Liverpool' who will be portrayed by local artist Jennifer John and dressed in a flamboyant purple gown featuring the city's famous skyline.

She will welcome the 16 competing nations by singing The Beatles' Across the Universe and will later appear to the sounds of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

This will then be followed by the arrival of the netball teams who will enter the arena to a Merseyside songbook of classics such as Ferry 'Cross the Mersey, Twist and Shout and The Story of the Blues - set to a South American, dubstep or Caribbean beat.

There will be speeches including a welcome by minister for Sport Mims Davies, an interactive dance, projection, pyrotechnic multimedia show and a stunning aerial performance by Wired Aerial.

Dancers from Iceland, Russia, Spain and Mexico will form part of the troupe who have been rehearsing for several months on the lead up to the ceremony.

The ceremony will then be crowned with an awe-dropping performance from a 250-strong choir made up of members from Sense of Sound, Liverpool Signing Choir, Pop Vox and Voice to Voice.

The closing ceremony will take place on Sunday, July 21 which will focus around the medal ceremony but also the handover to South Africa who are the hosts of the Netball World Cup 2023.

Working with globally acclaimed specialists including choreographers Darren Suarez and Valentina Temussi at the Institute of Arts in Barcelona, Culture Liverpool have also enlisted the help of musical director Andy Frizel, Mary Lamb, Fabrication Studios who created the costumes along with projection experts Illuminos and pyrotechnics company Titanium.

Deputy mayor and cabinet member for culture, tourism and events at Liverpool city council, councillor Wendy Simon said: “It’s a huge coup that Liverpool City Council has been asked to produce the opening and closing ceremonies for this elite, global sporting event.

“Culture Liverpool’s CV speaks for itself when it comes to hosting events – for more than ten years, Liverpool has been an exemplar of best practice, bringing millions of people in to the city as they look on in awe at Cunard liners on the Mersey, Giant families or spiders wandering our streets, big-name music acts performing in our green spaces, or racing cars racing up and down The Strand.

“The Vitality Netball World Cup is bringing the world to Liverpool and that’s exactly what the two ceremonies will reflect.

"It will be a celebration of the game, the city and the incredible sportswomen who will themselves put on an incredible show across the ten days.”