There will be frenzied activity in the parkland of Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, tomorrow night, writes Chris Gray. People will be scurrying back and forth from the car park to the concert arena as groups fetch and carry baskets and picnic equipment, ready to participate in Blenheim's Last Night of the Proms concert.
Picnicking is taken seriously. Damask tablecloths are aired, the candelabra shiny and bright, and the champagne chilled.
Over 4,000 people are set to dress up for the occasion, organised by Performing Arts.
Faces will be painted in red, white and blue, concert-goers will don Union Jack waistcoats and carry bobbing balloons to help mark out their picnic sites.
From 5pm, the park will become a colourful mass of picnics and people. The activity will extent to the Peugeot stand where the audience can see the range of vehicles from the show's sponsors. From 7.30pm the Performing Arts Symphony Orchestra will offer a programme of popular classics beginning with an opera-themed first half.
In the second half, the first traditional Proms favourite will be Wood's Fantasia on British Sea Song. Then mezzo soprano Yvonne Howard will take the stage for Arne's Rule Britannia, encouraging the audience to wave their flags and join in with her, right through to Parry's Jerusalem.
As the concert draws to a close, fireworks will burst forth into the sky, synchronised to Elgar's Land of Hope and Glory.
This year Performing Arts has new lighting effects. On each side of the stage are 20ft high inflatable structures, each containing an individual lighting mechanism, turning the inflatable cones and balls from original white into a brilliant azure blue, to a soft yellow and orange, all in time to the music. Call the Ticket Hotline Number on 01625 56 00 00 for credit card orders.
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