The production's director, David Atkins, previously directed the Sydney 2000 Olympic and the 2006 Doha Asian Games ceremonies.

After this, Québécois clown and mime Yves Dagenais, dressed in workmen's clothing, climbed out of the hole, plugged two long cords together, and pretended to pull the fourth pillar out as it emerged.

Dagenais then "summoned" Catriona Le May Doan (who appeared from underneath the stage via an elevated trap door), holding a lit torch in her hand.

[3][4][5] A mass of white-clad high school students with snowboards came out and surrounded the cauldron while the band Inward Eye gave a performance, with the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra behind them.

After the countdown and fireworks, the anthem cast created the words Strong and Free followed by a maple leaf and then a circle surrounding the cauldron to welcome the official party.

Three musicians, Eva Avila, Nikki Yanofsky, and Derek Miller, each on an elevated, lighted column that rose out of the stadium floor, sang the song "Let's Have a Party" in French and English.

As with tradition, the medals to one of the marquee events of the Winter Games – men's 50 km classical cross-country – were presented during the closing ceremony.

The flag of Russia was then raised and the Russian national anthem was sung by the Moscow State Chamber Choir, conducted by Vladimir Minin.

The segment featured Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova appearing in a special video, Maria Guleghina[8] performing while riding on a special troika containing white neon horses,[9] the principal dancers of the Kirov, Bolshoi and Mariinsky ballets making an appearance, 2006 Olympic champions Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov ice dancing by the Black Sea,[10] giant zorbs rolling around the stage, the appearance of figure skaters Evgeni Plushenko and Irina Rodnina with ice hockey players Alexander Ovechkin and Vladislav Tretiak (four years later, Rodnina and Tretiak would light the cauldron in Sochi), and—just like what happened 34 years before at the Montreal 1976 closing ceremony during the Moscow 1980 handover segment—a live orchestra performance playing in Red Square while being conducted (via satellite) by Valery Gergiev, who was inside BC Place.

Rogge also addressed the tragic loss of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili (who died in an accident at the Whistler Sliding Centre on February 12, 2010) in his comments, stating his condolences for the country of Georgia, and that his memory "will always be with us.

The entrance of the voyageurs was accompanied by the traditional French-Canadian song "Envoyons d'l'avant nos gens" performed by La Bottine Souriante, while the cultural section ended with Bublé singing the last line of "O Canada".

[13] Aside from celebrities participating in the ceremony, mayors Robertson and Pakhomov, and members of the International Olympic Committee, the following notable people were in attendance: The Canadian TV network CTV claimed that traditionally a senior government representative of the country hosting the next Winter Olympics is also present during the Closing Ceremony, but neither Russian President Dmitry Medvedev nor Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attended.

[17] In comparison, Canada's Governor General Michaëlle Jean had attended the Torino Olympics closing ceremony.

In Canada, CTV, Omni Television, Rogers Sportsnet, TSN, RDS and V broadcast the ceremony live.

Furthermore, the Canadian broadcast also omitted the men's 50 km classical cross-country medal ceremony and the subsequent Norwegian national anthem.