By Dina Ginzburg

It seemed like this day would never come. Remember at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Summer Olympics back in 2008 when David Beckham rode out on a red double decker bus to announce that London had been chosen to host this year’s Olympics? Yeah, that was a while ago! Today, July 27^th, an event four years in the making will be brought to over a billion viewers all over the world!

The opening ceremony is directed by SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE director Danny Boyle. After Beijing’s impressive display, London really needs to pull out all their stops to impress audiences. To commemorate today’s opening ceremony, we’ve made a list of the things that we’re most looking forward to seeing.

The Animals: Danny Boyle has revealed that ceremony will have live farm animals on a real grass meadow. Sheep, horses, cows, sheepdogs, geese, ducks and chickens will make up the 108 creatures that will be roaming the stage.

James Bond: A short film will kick off the event. Daniel Craig will reprise his role as James Bond when he and the Queen of England come face-to-face in this much-anticipated skit!

Voldemort vs. Mary Poppins: Under normal circumstances, that could be the silliest thing anyone’s ever heard, but since it’s the Olympics, we’re rather excited! Rumour has it that a 40-foot Voldemort will rise out of bed and battle 30 Mary Poppins actors descending from wires into the stadium. Wait…what?? Looks like we’ll have to watch to see what that’s all about!

The Fashion: Fashion may seem a little out of place at a sporting event, but one of the most obsessed-over features of a country’s entrance into the stadium is what outfits they’ll wear. Every year, designers clamour for the chance to design their country’s uniforms and it’s always fun to see what they’ve come up with.

The opening ceremony airs today at 4:00pm ET. Which team will you be cheering for?