After Britain's most successful Olympic Games for more than a century, it was only fitting that the closing ceremony should provide a spectacular send-off for the athletes who lit up London 2012.
And last night's extravaganza didn't disappoint, for it included one of the most spectacular fireworks displays that this nation has ever seen.
Some 80,000 lucky ticket-holders with seats inside the Olympic Stadium witnessed thousands of rockets explode on a night of celebration.
But hundreds of thousands more people in London also got to experience some of the festivities as the fireworks lit up the night sky to be seen for miles around.
Glorious send-off: Fireworks lit up the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, as London 2012 drew to a close
Finale: The closing ceremony in the Olympic Stadium provided one of the most spectacular fireworks displays Britain has ever seen
Finale: A heart-stopping array of colours zigzagged through the night sky above the Olympic Park as fireworks concluded the London 2012 Olympic Games
Alight: Fireworks exploded into the London night sky as the Olympic closing ceremony came to a spectacular end
Golden wonder: Fireworks explode over the stadium as London hands the Olympic baton to Rio de Janeiro
Impressive: Fireworks shoot across the arena as athletes gather in formation underneath to make the shape of the Union flag
Inside the stadium, audience members and athletes looked on as the Olympic Park was illuminated by a breathtaking display
It's over: Fireworks lit up the Olympic Village in Stratford, east London as London 2012 drew to an emotional close
Spectacle: Bright reds, greens and golds break out above the Olympic Stadium during the closing ceremony
Oohs and aahs: Rockets soar over the stadium as the Games in London are brought to a close
The fireworks display was one of the highlights of a ceremony which included stunning performances by comedians, musicians, dancers and actors.
Monty Python star Eric Idle provided a moment of hilarity, appearing onstage to lead the crowd through a singalong rendition of Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.
Colourful: Hundreds of fireworks explode around the stadium to mark the end of a successful Games for Britain
Inspiring: Some 80,000 lucky spectators were in the stadium to watch the breathtaking displays
Wonderful: The Olympics enthralled many for 16 days, but all good things must come to an end
Beautiful: The fireworks display continues as the Olympic cauldron is slowly lowered to mark the end of the Games
World party: The closing ceremony brought to an end 16 days of thrilling competitions involving athletes from across the globe
Light show: Rockets shoot above the Olympic stadium in one of the most spectacular displays ever seen in Britain
Something different: A photograph taken with a fisheye lens provides an unusual view of the firework display
Extravaganza: The fireworks could be seen for miles around as they exploded over the stadium
Other stars who performed included the Pet Shop Boys, Kaiser Chiefs, George Michael, Tinie Tempah, along with faces such as Kate Moss, Russell Brand, Julian Lloyd Webber, Naomi Campbell and Darcey Bussell.
The show reached its climax when The Who rolled back the years with their rock clasics..
Aimed at celebrating one of Britain's strongest cultural exports over the last 50 years, the musical extravaganza marked the end of the country's most successful Games in more than 100 years.
Evoking images of the past from Winston Churchill and Edward Elgar, through the psychedelic 60s to the highs and lows of the Games, the closing ceremony culminated with a glimpse of the carnival that awaits in Rio in four years' time.
As the flames in the Olympic cauldron got weaker, the phoenix flew higher over the crowd in the stadium below
Phoenix from the flames: As the Olympic flame died, it was replaced by a Phoenix which rose above the stadium
As the cauldron separated, the Olympic flame slowly faded until it was no more and the Games was officially over
Take That: After much speculation over whether they would perform or not after Gary Barlow's tragic loss of his stillborn daughter, Take That - minus Robbie Williams whose wife is due to give birth - took to the stage with hit single Rule The World
Rock behemoths: Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who headlined the Olympic Closing ceremony with a medley of their biggest hits, including Baba O'Reilly
Artists from the Royal Ballet, including British ballerina Darcy Bussell, performed as the Phoenix descended from the roof of the Olympic Stadium
Football superstar: Pele appeared on stage, wearing Brazilian colours, for a performance with former street cleaner Renato Sorriso
Ready for Rio: Brazilian performers gave the world a taste of what to expect when the Games moves to Rio de Janeiro in 2016
Proud: Locog chairman Lord Coe, right, delivers a speech as IOC President Jacques Rogge watched during the Closing Ceremony
London mayor Boris Johnson passed the Olympic Flag to Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes, helped by IOC president Jacques Rogge
End of an era: The Olympic flag was lowered by representatives from the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force
Brian May of Queen performed together with Jessie J during the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games
From beyond the grave: The late Freddie Mercury, on a giant screen, led Queen out onstage for their performance at the Closing Ceremony
Muse's guitar player Matthew Bellamy joined a star-studded list of performers at the Olympic Closing Ceremony
Comedy legend: Monty Python star Eric Idle appeared at the Closing Ceremony to lead the audience through a singalong of his hit Always Look On The Bright Side of Life
Monty Python's Eric Idle tussled with a band of morris dancers as he performed to the 80,000-strong crowd inside the Olympic Stadium
Heavenly: Nun and angels form the backdrop for Monty Python star Eric Idle's Closing Ceremony performance
A brave performer was shot from a cannonball during Idle's sketch, a nod to Britain's rich comic history
Indie icon: Liam Gallagher and his band Beady Eye followed The Spice Girls with a performance of Oasis number one hit Wonderwall
Spice up the stage: The Spice Girls reformed to perform a spectacular set on the top of black London taxis at the Closing Ceremony
Traditionally, the closing ceremony is a chance to celebrate what the athletes have achieved, with Lord Coe describing the night as a time to 'party, party, party.'
Supermodel: As the stadium was turned into a giant catwalk, London-born model Kate Moss appeared wearing a gold Alexander McQueen dress
Shimmering: Naomi Campbell, draped in gold, took over, strutting in a dazzling gold McQueen dress with a long train
Arriving in style: Jessie J arrived onstage performing in the back of a white Rolls Royce
Trio: Jessie J, Tinie Tempah and Taio Cruz performed during the Closing Ceremony
Right here, right now: British DJ and musician Fatboy Slim performed his most famous hits in a giant translucent octopus
Comedy star Russell Brand performed his sketch during the Olympic Games Closing Ceremony
Russell Brand sings I Am The Walrus aboard a psychedelic tour bus, a nod to the movement in British history notably popular with bands Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones and The Stone Roses
British singer Ed Sheeran performed Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, accompanied by Pink Floyd's Nick Mason (not pictured) Mike Rutherford and The Feeling's Richard Jones
British singer Annie Lennox performed 'Little Bird' aboard a giant wooden gallion during the Closing Ceremony
Mods: The Kaiser Chiefs performed on The Who's Pinball Wizardon scooters during the Olympic Games Closing Ceremony
Comeback: Pop icon George Michael performed Freedom as well as his new single White Light
The reclusive singer took to the stage to perform for fans and athletes inside the Olympic Stadium
Imagine: A sculpture in the shape of late Beatles band member John Lennon was formed onstage during the Closing Ceremony
John Lennon's face appeared on the big screen as a choir of 100 people from Liverpool, where Lennon was born, sang Imagine. The choir included members of the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir and Liverpool Signing choir
Flagbearers from participating nations paraded during the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games
United nations: Flagbearers took part in the athletes' march during the Closing Ceremony
Represnting the world: Athletes from the 200 plus nations competing at London 2012 appearred in the stadium, waving their nations' flags
Team GB: A British athlete dances with a Union flag as athletes from all over the world parade during the Closing Ceremony
Team GB: Sailing gold medal winner Ben Ainslie proudly carried the British flag into the Olympic Stadium
Excited athletes enter the Olympic stadium during the Closing Ceremony ready to say farewell
Ray Davies sings 'Waterloo Sunset', during the Closing Ceremony
Artists arrange white boxes within the Olympic Stadium. The boxes represented the 303 events that took place during London 2012
The boxes formed a striking pyramid in the centre of the stage
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A British military marching band performed Blur song Parklife during the Closing Ceremony
Flying the flag: The bright colours of the Union Jacks were waved and provided a sharp contrast to the white and black newspaper print
Bang on: Stomp performed in front of the London skyline stage set
Boy band One Direction performed during the Olympic Closing Ceremony
Neil Tennant, singer of the Pet Shop Boys, performed during the Closing Ceremony
Closing: As the sun set in London, the Olympic Stadium prepared for the London 2012 Closing Ceremony
Beginning of the end: Following on from Kenneth Brannagh's turn in the Opening Ceremony, actor Timothy Spall - in character as Winston Churchill - also read lines from Shakespeare's The Tempest to start the evening
Actor Timothy Spall posed as Sir Winston Churchill atop Big Ben, while Julian Lloyd Webber accompanied him on the cello
From classical to pop: Julian Lloyd Webber played the cello during the Closing Ceremony, which celebrated music across the centuries, as well as the decades
From limousines circling the track, Jessie J, Tinie Tempah and Taio Cruz emerged singing their respective hits Price Tag, Written in the Stars and Dynamite before joining together for the Bee Gees' disco tune You Should Be Dancing.
After a balletic performance of 10 taxis, five came to life illuminated in baby pink, sporty stripes, posh dynamite, the Union Flag and a scary animal print.
Read all about it: A London street scene was played out - with the whole set wrapped in newspaper
Classic comedy: Del Boy and Rodney's Reliant Robin exploded during the Closing Ceremony
Only Fools and Horses: Del Boy and Rodney, dressed as Batman and Robin, appeared in the stadium
Masters of the House: Madness - led by frontman Suggs - perform Our House during a street party scene
Royal laughs: Prince Harry and Kate Middleton shared a joke during the Olympic Games Closing Ceremony
Actors paraded around the model of St Paul's wrapped in newsprint, during the opening stages of the closing ceremony
Artists wave Union Jack flags as they perform with cars, wrapped in newspaper, as the closing ceremony got underway
Back on song: Emeli Sande, who sang Abide With Me during the Opening Ceremony, performed on the newspaper-covered stage
The colourful London landscape in the centre of the Olympic Stadium, with Tower Bridge, the London Eye and the Gerkin taking centre-stage
80,000 people in the Olympic Stadium counted down to the beginning of the opening ceremony, to the chimes of a replica of Big Ben
Scaled-down London! Landmarks of the capital made up the set for the Closing Ceremony
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