The flag will be raised in 414 locations including local Government buildings, Army Barracks, Whitehall departments, and iconic locations including the northern most point of the British Isles, Unst Island, which is part of the Shetland Islands, and the southern most point, Land’s End in Cornwall.

 

Olympic Handover flags will also be raised at Lowestoft, the most easterly point in England and the Isles of Scilly, the most westerly point.

 

Other UK landmarks will include 10 Downing Street,  the National Maritime Museum, HMS Belfast and Colchester Garrison. 

 

Flags will also be flying in the Mall.

 

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has also distributed flags to its overseas missions from Vancouver to Tokyo and the British Council has distributed to their offices across the world from Venezuela to Taiwan.

 

All will mark the beginning of London’s Olympiad by raising the Olympic Handover flag.

 

This activity will follow the moment when London Mayor Boris Johnson is symbolically handed the Olympic flag, officially marking the start of London’s tenure as the next Host City in front of a worldwide audience estimated to be around 1.6 billion at the closing ceremony of the current Olympic Games in Beijing.

 

Sebastian Coe, the chairman of London 2012, said: “When the Mayor of London accepts the Olympic flag on August 24, the eyes of the world will turn to London and the UK as the next Host City.

 

"It is a very important and exciting moment for us, and we want as many people as possible to join in the Handover celebrations.

 

"We are delighted that so many local authorities share our excitement and are proudly displaying the handover flag to mark this very special moment on our journey to 2012”.

 

More than 40,000 people will gather in the Mall for the Visa London 2012 Party to watch 10 performances from multi-million-selling artists including The Feeling, Il Divo, Katherine Jenkins, McFly, Will Young, James Morrison and  Scouting for Girls that will be broadcast live on BBC 1 and Radio 20.

 

In addition people across the country will be able to watch the Party via the UK’s largest-ever network of public giant screens and there will be a mass sing-a-long as part of the "Sing The Nation" programme.

 

Each city will sing one regional song which connects to the location, including Danny Boy in Ulster, I do like to be beside the seaside in Blackpool, Derby Ram in Derby, Delila in Swansea and Maybe it's Because I'm a Londoner in Walthamstow and Greenwich.

 

Chris White, the chairman of the Local Government Authority's Culture, Tourism and Sport board, said: “While the Games in 2012 are happening in London, it’s clear there’s strong support for them throughout the length and breadth of the country.

 

"More than 400 councils have arranged parties and flag-raising events for August 24 to mark the start of an exciting four years.

 

"Authorities are already investing in sports facilities and promoting healthier living to ensure the legacy of the Olympic Games will be long-lasting.

 

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for every part of the country to enjoy a boom in business, tourism and sporting excellence, and councils are ready to seize the opportunity.”

 

Janet Paraskeva, the chair of the Olympic Lottery Distributor, said: “The Olympic Lottery Distributor is delighted to support the network of live sites to help bring communities together to celebrate this exciting moment.

 

"With £2.2 billion of Lottery players’ money funding the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012 we are keen for everyone around the UK to feel part of London 2012."