The Australian Olympic Team during the Opening Ceremony.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics made history on Friday as the first to be held outside a stadium, featuring an array of performances including superstar Lady Gaga singing in French, a fashion show on a bridge and boats carrying athletes from around the world cheering as they sailed down the Seine.
The Flotilla event, known for the spectacular and colourful displays put on by the host country, was hit by rain in Paris, but spectators lined the city’s famous riverside to catch a glimpse of the spectacle.
Starting from the Pont d’Austerlitz next to the Jardin des Plantes, the route follows the Seine from east to west, bypassing two islands in the center of Paris and passing under several bridges and arches in the City of Light. The delegation’s voyage ends at the Pont d’Iena, on the left bank of the Seine and above the Eiffel Tower, and at the Trocadero district, on the right bank, where the ceremony’s finale will take place.
Pop icon Lady Gaga’s performance came midway through the opening ceremony, as she descended a gold staircase in a pink feather headdress and behind black backup dancers. Gaga’s face was hidden, with only her feet visible, until an accompanying dancer tugged on a pair of pom-poms to reveal her face. She then sang the French version of “Mon Truc en Plume” (My Feather) as she performed a choreographed routine.
As the athletes made their way down the Seine, they also passed under a footbridge that was transformed into a fashion runway, paying tribute to Paris’ reputation as the fashion capital of the world. Neon pink shirts, high fashion gowns and avant-garde outfits made their way across the footbridge as athletes and spectators enjoyed the outdoor show.
As the last boat in the Parade of Nations approached the Eiffel Tower, TV screens showed Team USA, the penultimate group cheering and preparing to head into the heart of Paris to bring home as many golf balls as they could, with NBA star LeBron James at the head of the boat, coolly clutching an Old Faithful flag flying overhead.
After the Paris night sky came on, the Olympic tradition continued with a performance of John Lennon’s 1971 song “Imagine.” In Paris, this beloved classic was sung in a moving serenade by singer Juliette Armanes and pianist Sofiane Pamaat.
This performance was followed by a highly cinematic production: live cameras panned across the Seine, following a mechanical man on a horse suspended above a submarine as it moved across the water’s surface. When the mechanical horse emerged from the water, a live horse and a silver-robed figure took its place, and they proceeded towards the Trocadero, accompanied by all 205 delegations. The silver-robed figure then carried the Olympic flag on foot and slowly raised it in front of the assembled delegates. Cheers and tears ensued.
After French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the gathered crowd, a marathon Olympic torch relay took place, with famous athletes racing through Paris to light the official flame. This year’s torch relay, like most of the ceremony, did not take place inside the stadium. French-Algerian soccer superstar Zinedine Zidane received the torch from a caped figure and handed it off to 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal.
The torch then passes to four international athletes spanning multiple generations, including Serena Williams, Nadia Comaneci and Carl Lewis, who will travel in speedboats across the Seine River in Paris. The race will be broadcast on NBC to the tune of Marc Cerrone’s 1977 hit “Supernature,” a French classic that has recently been making a comeback on nightclub dance floors. The four then pass the torch to former French tennis champion Amelie Mauresmo.
The Paralympians then led the torch-bearing procession, with Mauresmo and Tony Parker following behind and the two French handball players at the rear, as it made its way into the grounds of Paris’ world-famous Louvre museum. The procession grew larger, and then judoka Teddy Riner and three-time track and field gold medalist Marie-Josée Perec lit the cauldron, before a hot air balloon rose into the night sky next to the Eiffel Tower.
The finale was brought to a close by living legend Celine Dion singing French icon Edith Paif’s “L’amour.” Dressed in Dior, she belted out the ballad in a triumphant moment after being forced to cancel tour dates this year due to stiff person syndrome.
U.S. viewers can watch the games on NBC every day from midnight PST/3am EST to 3pm PST/6pm EST, as well as behind-the-scenes coverage and competition highlights during daily Olympic primetime programming. NBC is also streaming all the action live on its streaming platform Peacock.
