Explore the 2024 Paris Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies

Every four years, the Olympic opening ceremony is one of the most-watched events around the globe. It's a chance to cheer on your home country’s teams and see all the athletes who will soon be competing for gold.

This year, there’s an added incentive to tune in for the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. In the past, the opening ceremonies have been held in the main Olympic Stadium in the host country. This year, Paris wants to highlight the beauty of the city and allow more people to see and be a part of the historic pageantry of the Olympic Games opening ceremonies.

Where Will the Ceremonies Be Held?

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremonies will be held on the Seine River that flows through Paris. In a historic first for France, 10,500 athletes representing 206 delegations are expected to attend and participate in these unique ceremonies. The main focus of the ceremonies will be a boat procession carrying the delegations 6-kilometers from the Pont (bridge) d’Austerlitz to the Pont d’léna in front of the Eiffel Tower and the Jardins du Trocadero, where the official opening ceremony will be held.

When is the Opening Ceremony?

This year, the Olympic Games opening ceremony will be held on July 26. Prior to the start of the Olympic Games, there will be some traffic congestion, delays and detours around the quays and points of the river from June 17 until August 12 to 25, when the installations will be cleared from the river area.

What Time Will the Opening Ceremonies Start?

The ceremonies will begin at 19:30 Central European Summer Time (CEST) and 17:30 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

Planned Activities

Certain elements of the opening ceremonies remain a tightly guarded secret. However, we do know that 80 gigantic screens will show the festivities and performances to the 600,000 people in attendance along the banks and ponts of the Seine.

One of the highlights will be the artistic program highlighting France's cultural dance traditions. This program will feature 3,000 dancers along the procession route. The complex choreography required for such a massive event is being overseen by the Director of the National Center of Orleans, Maud le Pladec. She wants to show the diversity and color of France's dance scene and feature every kind of dance, from classical ballet to breakdancing. The dance performances will occur throughout the boat procession.

Spectators Will Line the Bridges and Shores

The ceremonies will feature 160 boats and barges, both stationary along the procession route and as part of the procession. Bleachers will also be provided for the spectators along both sides of the river and on the bridges. These will be installed from the Bibliothèque Nationale de France to the Eiffel Tower.

At the end of the boat procession, the athletes' delegations will assemble in the Jardins du Trocadero, and the Paris Olympic Games will be formally opened by the president of France, Emmanual Macron.

Historic Olympic Opening Ceremonies

With the use of the majestic Seine River as a backdrop, these opening ceremonies are set to take their place among other memorable opening ceremonies. Some of the most memorable ceremonies of the recent past include the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, where an ailing Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic Flame to signal the start of the games, or the iconic use of a flaming arrow by an Olympic archer to light the flame at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.

Watch the 2023 Qualifying Volleyball Matches on VBTV

Volleyball enthusiasts can watch all the action leading up to this summer’s Olympic Games on VBTV. The qualifying Olympic volleyball games for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games were held back in 2023. VBTV has all the qualifying matches, so you can see which countries have the best chances of taking home the gold, silver, and bronze medals in indoor volleyball and beach volleyball during the Paris Olympic Games. Subscribe to VBTV and root for your favorite 2024 Volleyball Olympic team.