Switzerland celebrated the opening of the world’s longest train tunnel, a 17-year project that cuts through the Alps and cost €11 billion to construct - but all anyone’s talking about is its ridiculous opening ceremony.
Efforts to highlight the incredible engineering accomplishment of the 2,300 meter-deep Gotthard tunnel resulted in an utterly strange opening ceremony that reported cost €8 million.
READ MORE: World's longest rail tunnel opens through Swiss Alps (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)
Co-ordinated by German director Volker Hesse, the performances were supposed to represent various aspects of Swiss culture, but, at times, ended up resembling a Kanye West fashion show.
More than 600 actors reportedly took part in the show, which at one point, included a topless creepy-looking bird that hung over nine performers, representing the nine miners that lost their lives during the tunnel’s construction.
Soon after the elaborate performance began, viewers took to Twitter to ask the question on viewers’ lips: what is actually going on here?
While it may live on as the opening ceremony of all ceremonies (here’s looking at you, Rio Olympics organizers)...
…the Swiss project also managed to deliver the world’s longest and deepest train tunnel on time and within budget, so they were probably entitled to let off some steam.
WATCH FULL VIDEO OF THE OPENING ON RUPTLY's YOUTUBE CHANNEL