THOUSANDS of talented musicians are getting ready to finish the “greatest sporting event in history” with a bang.

This weekend thousands of brass bands, choirs, pop groups and guitarists are preparing to fill bandstands across the country as they mark the end of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In Chester, crowds are expected to flock to the bandstand at The Groves to join in the celebrations and enjoy a packed musical programme filled with flamboyant performances from A Handbag of Harmonies and Chester Songwriters.

And at 2pm on Sunday (September 9), Chester will erupt in song as they join performers at bandstands across the UK to sing Coldplay's hit anthem Viva La Vida in unison as the supergroup who take to the Olympic park stage to officially mark the end of London 2012.

The mass band performance is part of the national Bandstand Marathon, seeing hundreds of performances take place simultaneously in parks, city's and at the side of rivers nationwide, to celebrate the success of our athletes and the legacy of the Games.

Event programmer for the Bandstand Marathon at Chester bandstand, Sue Bargh, said being part of the closing ceremony of the Games would be an “emotional” experience for everyone involved.

“Every aspect of music is going to be represented on the bandstands across the country,” said Sue, who will be performing some of her songs on the day.

“It is a real honour to be allowed to join in with the closing ceremony, it is a moment which will go down in history. The song is a really inspiring anthem and to be able to sing it at the same time as Coldplay is really a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Celebrated Chester conductor Matt Baker will lead the musical marathon on the riverside featuring performances from sign language choir Dee Sign Choir , Farndon and District Brass Band and Chester's A Handbag of Harmonies.

The performances start at 1pm, finishing at 5pm with a grand finale from A Handbag of Harmonies as they take part in a big sing with members of the local community.

For more information visit www.bandstandmarathon.org.uk