Hunter locals are encouraged to get in quick and purchase tickets to the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics 2013 Asia Pacific Games.

The Opening Ceremony will start at 7pm on Sunday, 1 December 2013 at Hunter Stadium, Newcastle. 

The two-hour entertainment spectacular will feature a parade of the 2,500 athletes, the arrival of the Games Torch to light the Cauldron and performances from some of Australia’s greatest performers.

Australia's most successful male vocal group, Human Nature, will headline the Opening Ceremony officially opening the first ever Special Olympics 2013 Asia Pacific Games for athletes with an intellectual disability.  

For Human Nature, the Opening Ceremony comes ahead of their national 'The Christmas Tour' which will also see the band showcase and support the release of the group's first ever Christmas album.

While the band’s tour kicks off in Melbourne on 5 December, the opportunity to perform at the Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics 2013 Asia Pacific Games on 1 December was motivation to return home early.  The group – Andrew and Michael Tierney, Toby Allen and Phil Burton – are now based in Las Vegas,  where they perform their Motown-themed show up to six nights a week at the Venetian Casino & Resort.

“We are so proud to be a part of the Opening Ceremony for the first ever Special Olympics 2013 Asia Pacific Games in Newcastle on December 1st,” said Andrew Tierney.

“It’s a real honour for us to return home and join such an prestigious event and be inspired by the athletes, their carers and families.”

Australian music royalty Marcia Hines is also among a who's who of Australian entertainers who will rock Hunter Stadium.

Crowned Australia’s Queen Of Pop three times, the first Australian female artist to have seven consecutive Top 20 album releases and revered as a judge on Australian Idol for seven seasons, Marcia continues to perform and to mentor young performers while now living in the Newcastle region.

Marcia said she was looking forward to the opportunity to perform with more than 200 Special Olympics dancers at the Opening Ceremony of the Games.

“Being asked to perform at the Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics Asia Pacific Games is a real honour for me as this event really makes a difference in the lives of people with an intellectual disability,” Marcia said.

“It’s also going to be great fun, not just because I’m sharing the stage with some of our country’s best performers, but the Special Olympics dancers are so full of joy and energy and love to dance.

“I can’t wait to see the whole Stadium full of dancing and singing people, partying with the athletes and dancers – it’s going to be a great night and the biggest event Newcastle has seen in many years, so please come along!”

Creative Director John Foreman said the Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics 2013 Asia Pacific Games is set to be one of the biggest entertainment events of the year and a night not to be missed.

“The night will kick off with a countdown and fireworks and the Ceremony will contain many highlights and embrace many concepts that celebrate Australia, Newcastle and the Special Olympic Athletes,” said John.

The Opening Ceremony will include:

• National Anthem with flags on the arena, spectacular patterns created by the dancers, and fireworks
• Headline performance by Human Nature
• Performances by Marina Prior, Doug Parkinson, The McClymonts, Silvie Paladino, John Foreman and Darren Percival
• Anthony Callea singing Go The Distance
• Marcia Hines singing I Got The Music In Me, with Special Olympic Dancers
• Iva Davies singing a special arrangement, including choir and orchestra, his iconic hit, Great Southern Land, with an arena full of colour
• Performances by the Special Olympic Athletes themselves
• Traditional Aboriginal Performance
• A stirring Marching Band performance
• A stunning visual display of surf and beach culture in Newcastle
• A huge line-up of drummers (including people with and without disabilities), drumming buckets and bins
• A mass group of tap dancers
• Puppets
• A colourful celebration of the diverse cultures of the Asia-Pacific region
• An 80 voice Choir
• A 35 piece Orchestra
• Raising of the Special Olympics Flag
• Athletes’ and Judges’ oaths
• The arrival of the Law Enforcement Torch Run and lighting of the Cauldron

Tickets are on sale now and still available

• What | Opening Ceremony Special Olympics 2013 Asia Pacific Games
• When | Sunday, 1 December 2013
• Where | Hunter Stadium
• Cost | Family tickets for two adults and two children are just $44, while premium reserved seats range from just $30 to $69. Hospitality packages, corporate suites and function packages are available from $150. 
• RSVP | Click here to buy tickets