The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games starts in the iconic structure of metal girders at 8:00 pm August 8, 2008.

Percussionists hit their Fou drums at the start of the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8, 2008. [Agencies]

The Chinese capital is in all splendors on the opening night. Beijing was awash in colors, giving it the look of a grand festival.

This, as many people said, was once-in-a-lifetime festival.

Chinese President Hu Jintao and International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge were ushered into the Presidential Box on the VIP stand of the National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest, in north Beijing on Friday night.