It’s a first: The opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games will take place outside the stadium. Just as as several sporting competitions will take place in the city’s backdrop, the various scenes of the opening show will draw on the natural setting of several emblematic sites, all along the Seine.
When and where does the opening ceremony take place?
The start will be at 8:24 pm on Friday, July 26, 2024. In an unprecedented move, the parade will take place on boats specially dedicated to the national delegations, equipped with cameras to offer viewers an experience as close as possible to the athletes. Sailing from east to west across Paris, the 10,500 athletes will parade through a spectacular environment that will sublimate their performances for sixteen days. The six-kilometer course of around 150 boats will end in front of the Trocadéro, where the final part of the shows and ceremonies will take place.
Is the ceremony open to all?
For the first time, the ceremony is open to all and free of charge. Spectators will be able to enjoy the upper quays free of charge, while the lower quays between the Pont d’Austerlitz and the Pont d’Iéna will be ticketed. Thanks to these arrangements, at least 600,000 people will be invited to take part in the festivities on the quays and bridges of Paris – ten times more than in a stadium configured for the Olympic Games. With 80 giant screens and an excellent sound system, the magical atmosphere of this extraordinary spectacle will be broadcast throughout the capital. The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Games will thus become the largest Olympic ceremony ever seen in the world. Parisians, Dyionisiens, Franciliens, as well as spectators from all over France and the world, everyone is invited to join the party.
Who will be the protagonists?
At the heart of the show, the athletes will be the real protagonists. Paris 2024 is breaking new ground by placing the parade of delegations at the opening ceremony. From the outset, and throughout the ceremony, the athletes will be intimately linked to the artistic performances, demonstrating Paris 2024’s determination to create Games centered on the athletes, for the athletes.
What is the route of the opening ceremony?
The river show will follow the course of the Seine over a distance of 6 km. Following the river, it will skirt the two Parisian islands, Île Saint-Louis and Île de la Cité, while passing under eight to ten bridges and footbridges, which will become the stages for various shows.
Aboard their boats, the athletes will be able to admire some of the official sites of the Games, such as the Place de la Concorde, the esplanade des Invalides and the majestic Grand Palais, before finally reaching the Pont d’Iéna, where the procession will end in front of the Trocadéro and its official grandstand. This grand finale will be a fusion of protocol and spectacle, marking an unforgettable moment for all participants and spectators alike.
100 years after the 1924 Olympic Games, Paris 2024 aspires to offer Games for and by the athletes, celebrating the fusion of sport and culture, in emblematic sites around the capital. A historic event not to be missed!
