The 2010 World Cup is set to kick off on Friday, June 11, and the opening celebrations will span over two days.

Tonight, June 10, will be the beginning of the celebrations with the World Cup 2010 Kick-Off Celebration Concert in Johannesburg. The concert will be a huge ordeal, starring artists from across the globe as well as appearances from soccer legends. All proceeds from this concert will go to “20 Centres for 2010,” with the goal of building 20 centers across Africa for healthcare and education. Dozens of artists are slotted to perform, including John Legend, Alicia Keys, Hugh Masekela, the Black Eyed Peas, Shakira, Angelique Kidjo, the Mzansi Youth Choir, the Soweto Gospel Choir, and more.

The official opening ceremony will take place on Friday afternoon and will mark the beginning of the World Cup.

Following this ceremony, the first game between South Africa and Mexico will occur. The ceremony will feature over 1,500 performers dancing and singing in a three-hour-long spectacle. Musician R. Kelly and the Soweto Spiritual Singers are just two of the musical acts that will grace the stage during the opening ceremony.

Although I’m not a huge soccer lover, I’m looking forward to the 2010 World Cup celebrations. After all, in this day and age, we all deserve to celebrate every once and a while, don’t we?

(Image Source: B@nk)