Olympics Opening Ceremony 2016: Breaking Down the Format in Rio

The magnificent Maracana Stadium is the venue for the opening ceremony as the 2016 Olympic Games kicks off in Rio de Janeiro on Friday.

A three-hour ceremony celebrating South America's biggest nation precedes the true action as the top athletes in the world gather in the shadow of Sugarloaf Mountain.

Here is how you can watch the event.

Date: Friday, August 5

Start Time: Opening ceremony begins 12 a.m. BST (Saturday); 7 p.m. ET

Live Stream: BBC iPlayer (UK), NBC Sports app (U.S.)

TV Info: BBC One, BBC Four (UK), NBC (U.S.).

Opening ceremony will be shown in the U.S. on a one-hour tape delay.

For the full Olympics schedule, visit Rio2016.com.

Film Director Fernando Meirelles Opens Olympics 

Respected film director Fernando Meirelles has been tasked to curate the opening ceremony as Rio presents an image of Brazil to the watching world.

Meirelles is best known for the critically acclaimed film City of God, which saw the 60-year-old nominated for best director at the Academy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards.

Supermodel Gisele Bundchen is due to appear after being cast by Meirelles "during a section on the urbanisation of Brazil," according to the Mirror. The ceremony is expected to be watched by 900 million worldwide as sports fans settle into the spirit of the Games. Three thousand special guests were given a glimpse of the proceedings in a dress rehearsal, but they were asked to keep the plot lines secret for Friday's event.

Silvia Izquierdo/Associated Press/Associated Press

The history of the country will be explored during the elaborate set with 300 professional dancers and 5,000 volunteers in situ.

According to the Mirror, the performance will not be a chronological look at Brazil and its past.

Director Leonardo Caetano explained to the BBC (h/t the Mirror): 

"

It will be a reinterpretation of Brazil. We will have a moment in which we will show... the Brazilian way of receiving people. The second is the 'Garden'. Brazil live on the largest green reserve in the world and this is an important issue for us.

The third is about creativity, the Brazilians' ability to do more with less.

"

Brazil also hosted the 2014 World Cup and has recent experience holding opening ceremonies and creating pageantry.

American superstar Katy Perry will be one of the star attractions on the night and will be joined by a throng of Brazilian musicians, per Billboard Latin:

The biggest moment of the evening will come for the athletes during the parade of nations as each country carries its flag into the magnificent arena.

The United States will be dressed by Ralph Lauren for the opening party, as highlighted by the U.S. Olympic Team on Twitter:

Expectations will be high on Friday after the hosts experienced a difficult journey in order to regenerate Rio to be fit for purpose, as reported by the BBC's Wyre Davies.

Great Britain gymnast Louis Smith discredited various concerns about the Olympic Village, posting a photo from behind the scenes:

Sports fans will be keen to skip past the opening hours of the festivities and burst straight into the action as the events roll out.

Brazilians were disappointed with the home nation's performance at the recent World Cup, and the public will be hoping for less heartbreak during the Games, which run until August 21.