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No longer at play, the world’s athletes returned to Olympic Stadium, some gilded, others in desperate need of relief, and stood corralled in eight groupings as a parade of supermodels and Spice Girls seized the stage.

After being held in place by volunteers for more than an hour Sunday night, small groupings of athletes broke out, off to celebrate away from the Closing Ceremony’s unwieldy, yet colorful, performances that concluded the third Games hosted by England.

A final Olympic record was set at these 2012 Games on Sunday: Best closing ceremony ever. At least if you’re a music fan.

The show’s director, Kim Gavin, told the Telegraph: “My approach was to say, ‘Let’s not over-think it. . . . Let’s have a party. I don’t want anyone to say, ‘I don’t understand this.’”

Mission accomplished.

A crowd of 80,000 was dazzled to delirium by “A Symphony of British Music.” George Michael, Annie Lennox, the Spice Girls, Jessie J, Muse, Brian May and Roger Taylor from Queen and The Who were among the acts called upon to entertain at the after-party to end all after-parties.

Below are the highlights:

Moment when you knew it was going to be a good show: When a number of the beer stands in the stadium shuttered up, sold out, 30 minutes before it began.

How it began: Like the start of every day, the closing ceremony began with rush hour. Cars, transport trucks, cyclists and Vespa riders clad in newspaper print — the British press is infamous/famous — zipped across the stage, while pedestrians wandered about with shopping bags. Oddly, the cars seemed to be driving in the right lane, North American style, just to mess with us.

Drive-by pop performance: Teen sensation One Direction was the first big act of the night (jump to the next section if you were born before 1995). The five-member boy band sang from the back of a transport truck, stopping in front of the VIP box where Prince Harry and Kate Middleton watched the show, to sing their hit, “What Makes You Beautiful.”

The first set list: Ray Davies, Emeli Sandé, Madness and the Pet Shop Boys. Everyone is kept to about one song. It’s like the iPod Shuffle, but real.

Team Canada stars in Gap commercial: Soccer star and flag-bearer Christine Sinclair leads the delegation of jean-jacket wearing Canucks. We still looked better than the Germans, who showed up in their odd pink-for-girls, blue-for-boys zip-ups.

Those cheeky Brits: Team GB had an incredible Olympics, finishing with 65 medals, 29 gold. Organizers made sure everyone felt the U.K. domination. Athletes were herded around a giant Union Jack-shaped stage on the stadium floor.

First confetti explosion: 41 minutes in.

Annie Lennox: Still hot. Still awesome. Was dragged around on a ship by gothic Tim Burton-esque waltzing aristocrats.

I don’t know what the hell is happening moment: British comedian Russell Brand shows up in a purple-and-black top hat and tails atop a giant yellow-and-pink bus singing Willy Wonka, while a 60s light show projects onto the stands. The bus then turns into an octopus. Fat Boy Slim then shows up to save the day with the catchy-as-chicken-pox song “Rockafella Skank.”

For the young folk: Rapper Tinie Tempah and top-40 darlings Jessie J and Taio Cruz are on hand to represent the new wave of British music domination.

David Beckham who?: A Spice Girls reunion was one of the most anticipated acts of the night and the girls delivered. They stuck with crowd favourites “Wannabe” and “Spice Up Your Life,” and the same dance choreography and costumes from 1999. Ginger, Scary, Baby, Sporty and Posh, viva forever! (no one born before 1984 will get that reference).