Shard inauguration light and laser show

Central London will be lit up by a spectacular light and laser show to mark the formal inauguration of Europe's tallest building, The Shard.

A combination of 12 lasers and 30 searchlights will light up the night sky over the capital at approximately 10.15pm in a display that will also be streamed live on The Shard's website and Facebook pages to mark the building's external completion.

The show will see coloured lasers reach out from the 95-storey building at London Bridge to other major landmark buildings across the capital; including the London Eye, the Gherkin and Tower Bridge.

The display will be co-ordinated to two pieces of well-known classical music; Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man and the Finale from Stravinsky's Firebird Suite which will be performed live by the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO).

As the music reaches its crescendo, the laser show will culminate in the illumination of The Shard itself, lit from all sides by powerful searchlights rising high into the evening sky.

The show is the finale to The Shard's inauguration by the Duke of York and the prime minister of Qatar.