An aerial view of Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. Credit - Lionel Bonaventure—Reuters
Not even the pouring rain could dampen the mood as thousands of athletes and spectators alike gathered in Paris to kick off the 2024 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony on Friday. The spectacle was the first Olympic ceremony to be held outside a stadium, and featured several nods to French culture and performances by Lady Gaga and Mali-born French singer Aya Nakamura.
The opening ceremony, which was expected to be the largest in Olympic history both in geographical coverage and in number of viewers, began with a plume of blue, white, and red smoke before each delegation began floating along the Seine River, waving flags to the crowds gathered around the river bank. An estimated 10,500 athletes floated along an almost four mile route in almost 100 boats, passing several Olympic venues along the way, including the La Concorde Urban Park and the Grand Palais. Over 300,000 spectators were able to watch the ceremony from the banks of the Seine, with giant screens set up throughout the city for viewers across Paris.
The route will end opposite the Trocadero – the esplanade across from the Eiffel Tower where the Olympic cauldron will be lit and the Games will officially begin.
Here are some photos from the ceremony.
Spectators watch from windows as they applaud the athlete's parade.Thomas Samson—Pool/Getty Images
Attendees wear rain covers as they sit in the stands during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.Oli Scarff—AFP/Getty Images
The Olympic torch is carried on a boat, under the Austerlitz bridge, along the river Seine at the start of the opening ceremony.Aris Messinis—AFP/Getty Images
Lady Gaga performs ahead of the opening ceremony.Luca Bruno—AP
Coco Gauff and Lebron James, flag-bearers of Team U.S.A., are seen waving their flag on a boat on the River Seine during the opening ceremony.Lars Baron—Getty Images
Entertainers Ariana Grande, right, and Cynthia Erivo arrive in Paris, France, before the opening ceremony.Natacha Pisarenko—AP
Actors perform during the opening ceremony.Wang Dongzhen—Pool/Getty Images
Tightrope walker Nathan Paulin performs on a high rope during the athletes’ parade on the River Seine near the Supreme Court.Buda Mendes—Getty Images
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron stood alongside International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics.Anushree Fadnavis—Reuters
Team Cameroon, Team Canada, Team Central African, Team Central African Republic, Team Chile and Team People's Republic of China cruise during the athletes’ parade during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.Richard Heathcote—Getty Images
Netherlands' flag-bearer Lois Abbingh and Netherlands' flag-bearer Worthy Donovan Rafael de Jong sail aboard the boat of the Netherland's delegation along the river Seine during the opening ceremony.Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt—Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Performers on Pont au Change near the Conciergerie during the opening ceremony. Adnan Abidi—Reuters
Athletes of Team Spain hold Spanish flags during the opening ceremony.Santos Moura—Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Security patrol by boat in Paris before the opening ceremony.Rebecca Blackwell—AP
South Korea's olympic team wave their flag as their boat passes under a bridge in Paris during the opening ceremony.Lee Jin-man—AP
Floriane Issert, a non-commissioned officer of the National Gendarmerie, rides on a metal horse up the Seine river past the Cassation Court and Conciergerie, during the opening ceremony.Kirill Kudryavtsev—AFP/Getty Images
Torch-bearer Rafael Nadal of Spain is seen during the opening ceremony.Stephanie Lecocq—Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Flag-bearers enter the Trocadero during the opening ceremony.Edgar Su—Reuters
Overview of the Trocadero venue, raindrops cover the lens, during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.Francois-Xavier Marit—AFP/Getty Images
French Paralympic Marie-Amelie Le Fur holds the Olympics torch during the opening ceremony.David Gray—AFP/Getty Images
The torch-bearers French former sprinter Marie-Jose Perec and French judoka Teddy Riner arrive to light the Olympic cauldron.Mohd Rasfan—AFP/Getty Images
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