THOUSANDS bristled with pride for the region as the Great Exhibition of the North was officially opened with a spectacular display of sound, light and water.

The launch of the eagerly anticipated once-in-a-lifetime arts and cultural celebration went off with a bang on Friday night.

Street performers entertained the 20,000 strong crowd on Newcastle's Quayside ahead of the headline acts - northern rock band Maximo Park, poet Lemn Sissay and a dazzling display made up of a water sculpture, drones and fire works.

The northern Quayside welcomed lucky ticket-holders from 8pm.

It soon burst into life with the help of dance, comedy, musical and altogether bizarre performance acts.

As darkness fell, the Millennium Bridge tilted to make way for a boat carrying Maximo Park.

The Mercury prize nominated outfit gave renditions of some of their biggest - Our Velocity and Apply Some Pressure - as they cruised down the Tyne.

Lancashire-born Lemn Sissay was cheered as he hailed the great Northern soul while delivering his newly created, rousing Anthem of the North.

And event-goers witnessed the UK's largest water sculpture - measuring 80m in length - as it danced its way through specially commissioned musical collaborations by Maximo Park and Kate Rusby with Royal Northern Sinfonia and Darkstar.

The opening drew to a close with a spellbinding showcase by Skymagic - a newly launched performance drone joint venture from Leeds-based Newsubstance.

Developed around music created by Darkstar, and with the North Star as a key motif, the performance drone display explores the notion of ‘home’, drawing on the region’s rich heritage and celebrating its bright future.

As if by magic, the sky was filled with a mesmerising display which saw the flying machines light up and rearrange into words and moving shapes.

Among them the words 'GREAT' and 'North', as seen in the event logo, as well as a rotating double helix and revolving miner's lamp.

The free but sold-out opening marked the start of an 80-day programme packed full of family-friendly fun, immersive experiences, hands-on activities and mind-expanding exploration.

And as well as the thousands-strong live audience, many more people were expected to watch it via live-streaming.

During the opening weekend there will be a series of one-off performances and surprises.

Visitors can enjoy a show about Northern women from stand-up poet, Kate Fox; a musical performance about life in the North with Trailblazing, a trio of choirs; dancers weaving through the city, bringing large groups of people together through impromptu choreography, in ‘MESH’, by Vanessa Grasse; and 105+db, a large-scale sonic artwork which will capture the North’s passion for football.

For more details of Great Exhibition of the North visit getnorth2018.com