Paris 2024 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony: Everything You Need to Know

More about the 2024 Olympic Games

Olympic voices

These are the 11 Team USA athletes to watch at the 2024 Paris Games

Read now

Breaking new ground at the Olympic Games

The sport’s pioneers and current stars remember how we got to this moment

Read now

Everything you need to know about the Paris Games

Where to watch, what sports are offered and more

Read now

Below, we explain everything you need to know about the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, including how to watch it.

The ceremony takes place on the River Seine.

The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games is sure to be a magnificent spectacle, as the ceremony takes place on the legendary River Seine, which flows through the French capital and into the English Channel.

It is the first time in history that an opening ceremony will take place outside a stadium, paying tribute to the City of Light and the waterway that runs through it.

Because of the unique setting, the opening ceremony in Paris will also be the largest in the history of the Games. Everyone will be able to walk down to the river and watch the spectacle (although the streets will undoubtedly be full).

Each national committee has a boat that will sail the nearly four-mile route, starting at the Austerlitz Bridge and ending at the Trocadéro, opposite the Eiffel Tower, home to the Trocadéro Palace. The latter venue will host a series of performances and more on Friday.

The Seine underwent a major cleaning ahead of the ceremony… but not without some controversy.

In addition to the river parade, the Seine will also serve as the venue for a number of swimming events during the Olympic Games, including the swimming leg of the triathlon and the marathon swim. To ensure this could happen, a major clean-up project took place, a project that took eight years to complete.

Swimming in the river has been banned for a century due to traces of bacteria such as E. coli and enterococci. The city has spent $1.5 billion to clean up the Seine, an effort that has been largely successful but will be difficult to maintain given the open nature of the river and the runoff that can flow into the city from sewage.

The decision to host events in the Seine has been controversial, as some studies earlier this month found traces of bacteria in the supposedly clean water. (Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a dip in the river a few weeks ago to prove it was safe to swim in.)

If there are rain showers during the Games that cause water to enter the river, the swimming events will be moved indoors.

Coco Gauff and LeBron James are the flag bearers of the United States.

As many as 10,500 athletes will cross the Seine. The two representatives of Team USA are the American tennis champion Coco Gauff and NBA star LeBron James.

Gauff will become the first American tennis player to ever carry the country’s flag at the Parade of Nations. James, who was announced as Team USA’s male representative on July 22, also makes history as the first American basketball player to wear the Stars and Stripes at the opening ceremony.

In response to the great honor, Gauff said the Today show, “I was completely shocked. (It) would have never occurred to me. I really have no words for it. It made me cry yesterday. I didn’t want to cry in front of my teammates … but when I called my mom, I started crying, because I think it’s even more special that so many incredible people – even now I get emotional thinking about it – but so many incredible people just think that I’m worthy of this. It really means a lot, it really does.”

James, for his part, said: “It is an incredible honor to represent the United States on this world stage, especially at a time that can bring the entire world together. As a kid from Akron, this responsibility means everything, not just to me, but to my family, all the kids in my hometown, my teammates, fellow Olympians and so many people across the country with big aspirations. Sports has the power to bring us all together, and I am proud to be a part of this important moment.”

Lady Gaga and Celine Dion sing a duet.

With a spectacle around the Seine and the first ever open-air ceremony, you can bet the International Olympic Committee wasn’t skimping on entertainment.

For the first time since her diagnosis with stiff person syndrome in December 2022, Celine Dion will take the stage for a glittering performance. Lady Gaga will reportedly join Dion for a duet of French singing legend Édith Piaf’s iconic “La Vie en Rose.” French-Malian R&B star Aya Nakamura is also rumored to perform at the ceremony.

You can stream the ceremony on NBC and Peacock.

The opening ceremony begins on July 26 at 7:30 p.m. EDT in Paris (1:30 p.m. EDT in the United States), and the Games run through Aug. 11. (Three sports began two days earlier, on July 24: handball, soccer and rugby.)

NBC and its streaming service Peacock will be the primary platforms covering the 2024 Paris Olympics in the United States. If you’re watching on broadcast or cable, NBC will air at least nine hours of daily coverage, including live finals coverage for major events like gymnastics, swimming and more. Peacock, of course, will be the place to watch Olympic events on demand.

Joel is the Editorial and Social Media Assistant for HarpersBAZAAR.com, where he writes all things celebrity. When he’s not behind the keyboard, you can probably find him singing out of tune at concerts, scouring thrift stores for flashy clothes, or scouring bookstores for the next great gay romance novel.