Police boats patrol the Seine River in Paris ahead of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics on Friday.
Ricardo Mazaran/AP
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Ricardo Mazaran/AP
We will be live streaming the opening ceremony on our blog all afternoon. Go to Our latest updates are here.
PARIS – The Olympic opening ceremony is here. An amphibious opening ceremony is taking place on the Seine in the city center, the first outdoor celebration in the modern Olympic era not to be held outside a stadium. The ceremony ended on land, with the Eiffel Tower in the background.
NPR will be on hand to watch it all unfold, so stay tuned: This story will be updated throughout the celebration.
historic opening ceremony
A parade of more than 10,000 athletes will float down the 3.7-mile-long Seine River. Some 300,000 spectators are expected to attend, most of whom will be able to watch the parade from the riverbank without paying an admission fee.
The parade will travel from east to west, passing major landmarks such as the Grand Palace. The parade is expected to end at the Pont du Jena before a finale at the Trocadero opposite the Eiffel Tower.
The route also passes through some of the city’s temporary sports venues, including an outdoor arena next to the Eiffel Tower that will host beach volleyball matches.
A technician drives a trolley past a replica of the artwork adorning the banks of the Seine on Thursday, the day before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Vadim Gilda/AP
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Vadim Gilda/AP
Tight security measures
The open-air venue has raised serious security concerns and officials have cordoned off the city. Tens of thousands of police and military personnel descended on the city. The closure of roads and bridges on and around the Seine has added to crowds and traffic congestion.
At least one incident has disrupted the security posture. This morning, authorities said a “coordinated” arson attack on France’s rail network brought the system to its knees.
Star-studded American lineup
As the two flag bearers for Team USA, tennis star Coco Gauff and NBA leading scorer LeBron James will wave the red, white and blue flags during the parade.
recently witnessed Celine Dion with Lady Gaga in Paris, and hint That number has since dropped, raising expectations that the pop talent will perform a duet during the carnival. It will be a remarkable Olympic return for Dionne – she performed at the opening ceremony of the 1996 Atlanta Games. stiff) and had to withdraw from the performance. Her last live performance was in New York in 2020.
Snoop Dogg carries the Olympic torch at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Saint-Denis outside Paris.
Aurelian Morissade/Associated Press
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Aurelian Morissade/Associated Press
The torch relay also has the influence of a large number of American stars. Snoop Dogg, Pharrell, and Selma Hayek have all contributed to the torch relay. The game officially begins when the torch is passed to the person who lit the flame (torchbearers traditionally keep it a secret until the last moment).
When and how to watch
The opening ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. in Paris) and is expected to last more than four hours. The traveling ceremony will flow along the Seine from east to west, ending with its final performance at the Trocadéro.
NBC will air a preview starting at noon ET. It will televise the entire ceremony and stream it live on Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com and the NBC/NBC Sports app.
