An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly constructed location or the start of an event. Opening ceremonies at significant events such as the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, and the Rugby World Cup might involve thousands of participants and be watched worldwide. Such tournaments often also include a closing ceremony at the end of the event.
A soft launch, also known as a soft opening, is a preview release of a product or service to a limited audience prior to the general public. Soft-launching a product is sometimes used to gather data or customer feedback, prior to making it widely available during an official release or grand opening. A company may also choose a soft launch to test the functionality of a product, allowing adjustments to be made before a wider release and marketing efforts are implemented.
The Elizabeth line is a railway line that runs across Greater London and nearby towns, operating similarly to the RER in Paris and the S-Bahn systems of German-speaking countries. It runs services on dedicated infrastructure in central London from the Great Western Main Line west of Paddington station to Abbey Wood and via Whitechapel to the Great Eastern Main Line near Stratford; along the Great Western Main Line to Reading and Heathrow Airport in the west; and along the Great Eastern Main Line to Shenfield in the east.
Under the project name of Crossrail, the system was approved in 2007, and construction began in 2009. Originally planned to open in 2018, the project was repeatedly delayed, including for several months as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The service is now named after Queen Elizabeth II, who officially opened the line on 17 May 2022 during her Platinum Jubilee year; passenger services started on 24 May 2022.
The Cathedral of Learning is a 42-story skyscraper that serves as the centerpiece of the University of Pittsburgh's (Pitt) main campus in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Standing at 535 feet (163 m), the 42-story Late Gothic Revival structure is the tallest educational building in the Western Hemisphere and the second-tallest university building (fifth-tallest educationally purposed building) in the world, after the main building of Moscow State University. It is also the second-tallest gothic-styled building in the world, after the Woolworth Building in Manhattan. The Cathedral of Learning was commissioned in 1921 and ground was broken in 1926 under general contractor Stone & Webster. The first class was held in the building in 1931 and its exterior finished in October 1934, prior to its formal dedication in June 1937. It is a Pittsburgh landmark listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Colloquially referred to as "Cathy" by Pitt students, the Cathedral of Learning is a steel-frame structure overlaid with Indiana limestone and contains more than 2,000 rooms and windows. It functions as a primary classroom and administrative center of the university, and is home to the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Social Work, and a number of its departments, as well as the Frederick Honors College. It houses multiple specialty spaces, including a studio theater, food court, study lounges, offices, computer and language labs, 31 Nationality Rooms, and a half-acre (2000 m, 22,000 ft), 4-story-high, vaulted, gothic study and event hall. The building contains noted examples of stained glass, stone, wood, and iron work and is often used by the university in photographs, postcards, and other advertisements.
The Putna monastery (Romanian: Mănăstirea Putna) is a Romanian Orthodox monastery (one of the most important cultural religious and artistic centers established in medieval Moldavia); as with many others, it was built and dedicated by Stephen the Great. Putna was founded on the lands perambulated by the Putna, which has its source in the Obcina Mare mountains, Bukovina. Stephen the Great is famous for building and influencing the building of dozens of churches and monasteries all over Moldavia. Allegedly, he founded a religious edifice after each important military victory. The Putna Monastery houses the tombs of Stephen (nowadays a place of pilgrimage) and several of his family members. The icon veils and tombstones are held as fine examples of Moldavian art in Stephen the Great's time.
The Putna monastery is also the starting point of the Via Transilvanica long-distance trail.
Dickies Arena is a 14,000-seat multipurpose arena, located within the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas. The venue hosted a public ribbon cutting on October 26, 2019. The first event held was a Twenty One Pilots concert on November 8, 2019.
The facility is the result of a public-private partnership between Fort Worth, Tarrant County, the state of Texas, and a group of private-sector participants, including foundations, individuals, and organizations. The arena was designed by the 2015 Driehaus Prize winner David M. Schwarz and is owned by Fort Worth and managed by the not-for-profit Multipurpose Arena Fort Worth (MAFW).