Northern Ireland Assembly to take part in London 2012 Festival and join Big Ben and other Parliamentary insitutions across the UK by ringing in the first day of the London 2012 Olympic GamesThousands of bells to chime out across the UK from 8:12AM – 8:15AM on Friday 27 July for artist Martin Creed’s London 2012 Festival commissionTo herald the first day of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games on Friday 27 July, Big Ben and thousands of bells across the UK will ring out for Work No. 1197: All the bells in a country rung as quickly and as loudly as possible for three minutes, Turner Prize-winning artist and musician Martin Creed’s commission for the London 2012 Festival.The Northern Ireland Assembly will join in with Big Ben which will chime more than 40 times from 8:12AM – 8:15AM to ring in the Olympic Games. All four Parliaments in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England will be ringing their Division Bells in unison at 8:12AM on 27 July as part of All The Bells in celebration of the first day of the London 2012 Olympic Games.It is believed to be the first time that the strike of Big Ben has been rung outside its regular schedule since 15 February 1952, when it tolled every minute for 56 strokes from 9:30AM for the funeral of King George VI.The Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, William Hay MLA, said: “This is a unique moment in which we can all celebrate our part in the Olympic and Paralympic Games coming to the UK. It is also an opportunity for everyone across Northern Ireland to join in and welcome the world’s attention to our shores. It is a moment for us all to enjoy together.”Anyone can take part by ringing any kind of bell for three minutes on Friday.  To get involved, all individuals, organisations and communities are encouraged to register online at www.allthebells.com. The website also makes available for download Martin Creed’s free and exclusive ringtone, Work No. 1372, which features 28 different bells sounds. Subscribers to the free official London 2012 Join In App will also be able to tap or shake their phone like a hand bell to release the Martin Creed bell sequence. This will allow users to join in with the event whether they are on the way to work or at home.All The Bells will be the London 2012 Festival’s biggest community celebration for the Games and thousands of people and organisations have already registered to take part all four UK Parliaments, the Cathedrals of St. Eugene’s and St. Columb’s in Derry-Londonderry, HMS Belfast, British Embassies worldwide, St. George’s Market in Belfast and The Girl Guides Association.  Bells will be ringing everywhere from Britain's northernmost inhabited house in Skaw, the Shetland Isles, to the UK’s most westerly church in Tresco, The Scilly Isles.  Enthusiasm has even spread as far as a British Antarctic Survey research station in Rothera, Antarctica, where a research team will be making as much noise as possible to join the Olympic celebrations.Sports Minister Carál Ní Chuilín said; "This is a chance to get involved and make some noise. I would encourage everyone to take part on Friday at 8.12am  by ringing any bell, a door bell, a bike bell, even a cymbal. This is the perfect way to get into the Olympic spirit and help us all to prepare to cheer on our teams and athletes."

Ruth Mackenzie, Director of London 2102 Festival and the Cultural Olympiad, said: "All the Bells is London 2012 Festival's biggest community project, and we are incredibly excited that the commission allows everyone in the UK the chance to be part of history in the making as we aim to set a world record for the largest number of bells to be rung simultaneously."The London 2012 Festival features more than 25,000 artists from all 204 competing Olympic nations. Everyone is able to join in the celebration this summer with over 10 million free tickets and opportunities to take part in 12,000 events and performances at 900 venues all over the UK, including 130 world premieres and 85 UK premieres. Highlights of events taking place across the UK this week include:Northern Ireland’s London 2012 Festival events taking place as we approach the London 2012 Olympic Games, with more coming in AugustLondon 2012 Festival in Northern Ireland has hosted 8 once in a lifetime events in Northern Ireland since it opened with the Peace One Day concert in Derry-Londonderry on 21st June where up to 10,000 people celebrated Olympic Truce. Since then more than more than 30,000 people have attended London 2012 Festival events in the North.The week leading up to the opening of the Games in Northern Ireland began with Peace Camp from 19-22 July, offering a beautiful experience for thousands of visitors as glowing encampments celebrated the love poetry of Britain and Ireland on Whitepark Bay, Downhill Beach and in Mussenden Temple. The week continues with Northern Ireland’s public art commission by Arts Council of Northern Ireland for London 2012 Festival, NEST, being open to the public daily at T13 warehouse in Titanic Quarter until 29th July. Meanwhile, Ambulatorio Belfast by Oscar Munoz, presented by Draw Down the Walls and Golden Thread Gallery, continues at the interface between Flax Street and Crumlin Road.London 2012 Festival events coming up in August, once the Olympic Games are complete, include a children’s opera entitle Noye’s Fludde in Belfast Zoo based on the epic story of Noah and his ark of animals from 10-12 and 17-19 August. Children are invited to attend in animal costume. The Giant’s Causeway will see a phenomenal artwork by German artist Hans Peter Kuhn entitled FLAGS where dozens of flags, red on one side, yellow on the other, will flicker quietly across the bay of Port Noffer.The world’s first annual festival of Beckett will take place in Enniskillen from 23-27 August. Happy Days Enniskillen International Beckett Festival will feature a UK and Irish premiere from the legendary American theatre director Robert Wilson and a comedy programme including Phil Kay as part of London 2012 Festival.Jeremy Deller’s Sacrilege, a life-size inflatable replica of Stonehenge and fully operational bouncy castle for adults and children alike, will pop-up on Grove Playing Fields in North Belfast in partnership with Young at Art on 26th August.To celebrate the Paralympic Games, Northern Ireland’s first ever arts and disability festival, Bounce, by the Arts and Disability Forum will feature London 2012 Festival commissions by local artist Sinead O’Donnell, CAUTION, and London-based performer David Hoyle from the 24th to 31st August.Information on all London 2012 Festival events can be found at www.london2012.com/festivalThe London 2012 Festival is the finale of the Cultural Olympiad. Since the Cultural Olympiad started in 2008 over 18 million people all over the UK have already participated in or attended over 9,000 performances and more than 8,000 workshops as part of Cultural Olympiad programmes inspired by London 2012 and funded by our principal funders and sponsors.   Principal Funders of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival are Arts Council England, Legacy Trust UK and the Olympic Lottery Distributor. BP and BT are Premier Partners of the Cultural Olympiad and the London 2012 Festival.Supporters of the London 2012 Festival are BMW, Eurostar, Freshfields, King’s College London, Panasonic, Samsung, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Arts Council of Wales, BBC, British Council, Creative Scotland, DCAL, DCMS, Festivals Edinburgh, Mayor Of London, Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Visit Britain and Visit Scotland.Notes to Editors:For more information on the London 2012 Festival in Northern Ireland:Contact Lyn Sheridan or Paul McCarthy at Aiken PRTelephone: 02890 663000Lyn@aikenpr.comPaul@aikenpr.com Find out the latest from London 2012 Festival on Facebook at www.facebook.com/london2012festival and follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/london2012festival or download the Official London 2012 Join In app.The Official London 2012 Join In app is a free mobile guide to help you plan, enjoy and share your Games experience. From the Olympic Torch Relay to the Olympics and Paralympics, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, plus all the cultural, city and community   celebrations happening across the UK, the Official London 2012 Join In App is your essential companion. It is available now at app stores and at http://www.london2012.com/mobileapps/London 2012 Festival and Northern IrelandThe Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure is responsible for coordinating delivery of the Northern Ireland legacy strategy for the 2012 Games, across three key themes – sport, social, and economic.The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is responsible for coordinating delivery of the Northern Ireland legacy for culture, contributing to the social legacy of the London 2012 Games for Northern Ireland. It hosts the office of the London 2012 Creative Programmer for Northern Ireland and leads on the Cultural Olympiad and its finale, the London 2012 Festival, in Northern Ireland.London 2012 Festival in Northern Ireland is proud to partner with Derry-Londonderry UK City of Culture 2013 and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board’s ni2012 campaign celebrating Northern Ireland in 2012 and developing legacy for the UK's first ever City of Culture in 2013.About the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 FestivalThe London 2012 Cultural Olympiad is the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Movements.  Spread over four years, it is designed to give everyone in the UK a chance to be part of London 2012 and inspire creativity across all forms of culture, especially among young people.The culmination of the Cultural Olympiad will be the London 2012 Festival, bringing leading artists from all over the world together from 21 June 2012 in this UK-wide festival – a chance for everyone to celebrate London 2012 through dance, music, theatre, the visual arts, fashion, film and digital innovation.Principal funders of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival in Northern Ireland  are Arts Council of Northern Ireland,  Legacy Trust UK and the Olympic Lottery Distributor.  BP and BT are Premier Partners of the Cultural Olympiad and the London 2012 Festival.For more details visit www.london2012.com/festival

Legacy Trust UK and Northern IrelandLegacy Trust UK is an independent charity which is creating a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games across the UK.

The Trust is a Principal Funder of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival and is supporting a wide range of sporting and cultural projects across Northern Ireland which are part of these official London 2012 celebrations. Legacy Trust UK has allocated over £2 million to London 2012-inspired projects in Northern Ireland since 2008 through Land of Giants and Connections, which brings together sports and the arts through a range of NI-wide projects.