The City of Worcester is proud to announce that Worcestershire County Cricket Club will be the venue for the Evening Celebration of the Olympic Torch Relay for its visit to Worcester on 24 May 2012.

The New Road ground will host a spectacular celebration of the Torch's overnight stay in the city, with music performances, light shows and the thrilling moment when the Torch arrives in the ground and is used to light a giant Celebration Cauldron.

Thousands of local people will be there on the night, as the Olympic Torch shines a light across Worcester to celebrate the culture and heritage of our proud city.

Details of how people can get free tickets for the event will be announced in the coming weeks.

Councillor Simon Geraghty said: "I'm delighted that Worcestershire County Cricket Club has been confirmed as the venue for our once-in-a-lifetime celebration of the arrival of the Olympic Torch in our city. I know it will be the perfect venue as the eyes of the world turn to Worcester."

Georgia Smith, head of VisitWorcester and event lead for the city, said: "We are thrilled to be working with the team at the Cricket Club on the Olympic Torch Relay celebration. The club's beautiful grounds at New Road with their iconic view across the river to Worcester Cathedral are absolutely ideal for this event and will make a fitting backdrop to the arrival of the Olympic Flame as it tours the country."

David Leatherdale, Chief Executive of WCCC, said: "We are immensely excited to be able to play a part in bringing the Olympic spirit to Worcester, and with our experience of hosting major events we look forward to welcoming local people to what promises to be an unforgettable evening of entertainment".

Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG (the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games), said: "We have no doubt that Worcester City Council and VisitWorcester will help to stage an Evening Celebration event that captures the excitement, passion and spirit of the Olympic Torch Relay as it comes to rest at Worcestershire County Cricket Club. The event will provide the perfect opportunity to invite the local community to welcome the Olympic Flame and shine a light on the culture and heritage of the area."

The evening celebration will be made up of entertainment provided by LOCOG, the presenting partners of the Torch Relay - Lloyds TSB, Samsung and Coca-Cola - and specially developed content from the City of Worcester. It will come to a climax with the arrival of the Torch itself, when a cauldron will be lit from the Olympic Flame to mark the end of the day's proceedings.

The event in Worcester, the first in the West Midlands, takes place on Day Six of the Torch Relay, a 70-day tour of 1,018 locations all around the UK. It will start on 18 May when the Olympic Flame arrives from Greece at Land's End and will culminate in the arrival of the Torch at the Olympic Stadium in London on 27 July 2012.

The Torch will arrive in Worcester from an evening celebration in Cheltenham on Day Five of the Relay and go on to Cardiff on Day Seven. In the West Midlands, Birmingham, Coventry and Stoke-on-Trent will also host evening celebrations later in the Torch Relay tour.

The Olympic Flame will be carried across the UK by 8,000 inspirational Torchbearers. The aim is for 95% of the UK population to be within a one hour's journey time of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay.

Announcements about the inspirational Torchbearers who will carry the Olympic Flame through Worcester's streets and the detailed route of the Torch through the city will be made in coming months.