A blast from a didgeridoo, an Australian Aboriginal wind instrument in the form of a long wooden tube, a sprinkling of royal stardust and a strong message of unity lit up the opening ceremony of the 2018 Commonwealth Games at Australia's Gold Coast on Wednesday. The opening ceremony started with a heavy downpour that lashed the 35,000 crowd at Carrara Stadium. Britain's Prince Charles and wife Camilla were among the guests. The ceremony began with a message on the screen that read: "Welcome to the oldest living culture on Earth." A scene from a group of friends surfing off the beach gave way to a virtual journey through space and time as the stadium was engulfed in a galaxy of stars and blue light. In contrast, just outside the stadium, about 100 Aboriginal activists protested against what they have labelled the "Stolenwealth Games". The sporting action in the Games, which feature 71 nations and territories, gets underway on Thursday.
Highlights of 2018 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony, straight from Carrara Stadium
18:10 IST: Thank you for joining us.
18:05 IST: 2018 Commonwealth Games are officially open.
18:00 IST: Prince Charles declares the Commonwealth Games open.
17:43 IST: Trivia -- There were 3,800 baton bearers in Australia.
17:42 IST: Susie O'Neill, five-time CWG silver medallist, brings the Queen's baton.
17:39 IST: Louise Martin, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, talks about the importance of the Commonwealth
17:30 IST: Peter Beattie, Chairman of the Gold Coast 2018 CWG Corporation, is delivering the welcome speech.
17:26 IST: Ceremony of Flag is underway. Six athlete are carrying the flag of the Commonwealth Games Federation.
17:25 IST: Traditional smoking ceremony is enthralling.
17:20 IST: Following the Parade, Australian singer/songwriter Katie Noonan mesmerizes the audience.
17:15 IST: Participants are intermingling and greeting each other at the Stadium.
17:14 IST: And the Parade of Nations ends. Stay tuned for more updates
17:13 IST: The hosts, Australia, get a grand welcome!
17:11 IST: Australian Prime Minister enjoying the opening ceremony!
17:03 IST: New Zealand is welcomed with the popular Sia song 'Chandelier'
16:58 IST: Trinidad and Tobago, who have participated in every CWG games except 1950 and 1986, walk in proudly.
16:52 IST: The orchestra is playing the popular English number 'Cheap Thrills' by Sia in the background.
16:45 IST: Here comes INDIA! PV Sindhu is leading the Indian contingent, which is all smiles.
16:42 IST: Canada, which has more females participants than males, make their way out to the stadium.
16:40 IST: Tanzania receive a warm welcome as they participate in the Parade of the Nations.
16:35 IST: Gambia, a small West African country, participating with just six athletes
16:30 IST: Malawi, a landlocked country in southeastern Africa, are enjoying their time.
16:28 IST: After the countries of Europe, the countries from Africa are now walking entering with their contingent.
16:25 IST: There are 39 male flag-bearers, 32 female and Athletics is the most-represented sport, with 24 flag-bearers competing in Athletics.
16:17 IST: Hosts of 2014 CWG games, Scotland leads out the Parade of Nations.
16:10 IST: Ricki-Lee Coulter sings Technicolour Love.
16:03 IST: PV Sindhu all set to lead the Indian contingency.
15:55 IST: Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall and the Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull take the stage. They are joined by Louis martin, Peter Beattie, Chairman of Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, among others.
15:52 IST: The performers are now enacting a totem ceremony - the ritual of handing down of the knowledge from the ancestors to the young and future future generations.
15:45 IST: "The past is among us," says the announcer as performers usher in the stadium donning tribal costumes.
15:38 IST: The camera focuses on the beautiful sunset. Beautiful scenes from the stadium.
15:35 IST: The ceremony starts with the visualisation of the continents drifts.
15:20 IST: We are 10 minutes away from the opening ceremony. Stay tuned, folks!
14:44 IST: Good luck to our Indian contingent, tweets Sania Mirza.
14:30 IST: Hours before the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his best wishes to the Indian athletes.
14:20 IST: Hello and welcome to the live blog of the opening ceremony of the 21st edition of the Commonwealth Games straight from Carrara Stadium.
Carrara Stadium will be the centre-stage for glamour, theatre and entertainment as the venue for the opening ceremony. The Commonwealth will become one for the 'Parade of Nations', the 'Competitors' Oath' and the finale to the 'Queen's Baton Relay'.