What to Expect in The Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris is about to give the world the most unique opening ceremony ever. The Paris 2024 Olympics will start on July 26, 2024. Preparations have already started months in advance, including its highly anticipated opening ceremony. From Beijing to London and Rio to Tokyo, the previous host cities have given some of the most amazing ceremonies, both opening and closing. What does Paris have in store? Well, it'll be the first time the ceremony will take place outside of a stadium and on a famous river. It will also be in the form of a boat parade instead of a live show. Sounds exciting, doesn't it?

A Ceremony on The Seine

More than a couple of famous Paris spots will host the Olympic Games this July. They range from the Grand Palais to the Bercy Arena to Stade de France. With many massive venues on offer, you'd think any of them would host the opening ceremony for Paris 2024. But nope! The Seine River will instead host the ceremony, marking the first time the event will take place on a body of water. The usual parade of countries will take the form of a boat parade, with athletes floating on ferries and ships. The famous river banks will serve as the area for the audience, giving the public a front-row seat to all the revelries.

The First Opening Ceremony Outdoors

The upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony will also mark the first time the event will take place outdoors. Though many might argue that the open-air stadiums that hosted the past Summer Olympics editions were technically outdoors, this ceremony takes it up another level. The event will be out in the open, so much so that it'd be easy for those in nearby buildings to catch a glimpse of the event without ever going to the venue or buying a ticket. Paris has always been one of the most beautiful cities in the world and this will be highlighted for the opening ceremony.

Source: Olympics.com

A Parade of Over 10,500 Athletes

You can expect around 10,500 of the world's best athletes to take part in the opening ceremony of the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics. They'll also be in boats of their specific national teams and float down the Seine River. The format of the parade will allow the athletes to move more closely to the audience, even though they'll be parading down a river. Unlike in past editions where athletes will walk in a stadium and fans will be seated up in the stands, this boat parade will give the latter a better view of their favorite sports superstars.

Iconic Landmarks will be Front and Center

It's a good thing that the Seine River flows through various neighborhoods in Paris. In fact, it's safe to say that the organizers chose the area for exactly this reason. Paris is a treasure trove of iconic monuments and it'd be a shame if the 2024 Summer Olympics can't highlight that for its opening ceremony. Hence, placing the event on the river gives the opportunity to sneak a peek at these famous attractions, albeit from afar. The popular monuments one can see from the Seine River include Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Palais, and more.

The Event is Free!

Perhaps the best part about the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony is that it will be free for admission. At least, for some parts of the venue. You don't have to pay a single cent for a ticket to the upper quays, but for the lower quays, which will start from Austerlitz Bridge to the Iéna Bridge, there will still be tickets on sale. Nevertheless, it's great that the organizers opened the ceremony up to the public. This further proves just how devoted the Olympics are to both highlight and give back to Paris.

The Olympic Flame is Already Lit

For those who don't know, the Olympic Flame was already lit in a ceremony held back on April 16, 2024. It took place in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the global sports event, and has since traveled to various parts of Greece and other European countries. It's now on its way to France which will then be used to light the torch for the ceremonious torch relay during the opening ceremony. You can expect countless global and French athletes to take part in this relay for the event.

Source: BBC News YouTube Channel

The highly anticipated opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics is just around the corner. It's bound to be one of the most memorable events ever and here are some tidbits you'll want to know about this historic ceremony.