Southeastern New Brunswick opened its arms to the world on Monday night as the IAAF World Junior Track and Field Championships officially opened in Moncton, N.B.

The international sporting event's opening ceremonies were held on Monday night in a brand new stadium built at the University of Moncton. More than 10,000 spectators watched the performance of an estimated 1,000 artists.

'We saw some of the Qatari team members coming in, felt like rolling down my window and just saying, "Hey, welcome to Moncton."'— Matthew Allan

Matthew Allan said he saw fans lining up two hours before the ceremonies began.

"I think it's awesome and like the energy is just fantastic ... I'm just so proud to be from Moncton right now," Allan said.

Allan said the excitement level started rising early in the day, especially when athletes from some of the 170 countries were spotted.

"We saw some of the Qatari team members coming in, felt like rolling down my window and just saying, 'Hey, welcome to Moncton.' So we're all really excited," he said.

For many spectators it was a chance to rub shoulders with the hundreds of foreign sports fans now staying in New Brunswick for the championships.

Dan Murphy of Rexton, N.B., said he's already been in different parts of the province and bumped into sports fans from across the globe.

"It was really neat. I stopped into the Bridge Street Cafe in Sackville on Sunday and to see … Russians and Hungarians and Japanese everywhere," Murphy said.

"It was just great to see such a variety of cultures in our province."

Opening ceremonies

Prime Minister Stephen Harper travelled to Moncton to watch the opening ceremonies, which paid homage to Maritime roots with performances from a Mi'kmaq drum circle, Scottish bagpipers and dozens of fiddlers crossing the field in unison with the red, white and blue colours of Acadia.

Boutouche First Nation Chief Ann Mary Simon was part of the opening sequence, dressed in a traditional First Nations costume. She said the event was overwhelming.

"It's incredible, it's just, I can't even put it into words," she said.

The crowd also cheered as the 1,500 athletes marched into the stadium.

With the opening ceremonies over, attention now turns to athletics as events get underway Tuesday.