Paris 2024 begins Friday and the French — the people who produce the world’s most delicious cheese, finest haute couture and countless other exquisite creations — are about to deliver what may be the most unique opening ceremony in the history of the Olympic Games.
Instead of a customary event inside a stadium, the opening ceremony will be a one-of-a-kind waterborne pageant on the River Seine, using the famously photogenic city as a rolling backdrop. Thousands of athletes from around the world will travel by boat in a floating parade through the heart of Paris at sunset, beginning at the Austerlitz Bridge and past landmarks like the Louvre and Notre Dame Cathedral. The boats will be equipped with cameras so viewers will be able to see athletes up close as they float down the Seine. The route will move west for just under four miles, ending at the Trocaderó, where the rest of the ceremony will take place in front of the Eiffel Tower.
The 2024 Paris Olympics start this week, and 592 athletes will be competing for the United States. Here’s how you can watch and stream any of 329 events.
The ambitious ceremony, devised by theater director Thomas Jolly, has a reported budget of $150 million. Little has been revealed about what the ceremony will include, though it will feature 12 scenes inspired by French history. The unprecedented nature of the event has sparked concerns about everything from security and the weather to the level of fecal matter in the Seine. Earlier this week, hundreds of dancers threatened to disrupt the ceremony if their pay demands were not met, but the strike action was ultimately called off.
The ceremony is underway and American audiences can watch live on NBC or Peacock. It is hosted by NBC commentator Mike Tirico, singer Kelly Clarkson and former NFL player Peyton Manning — all three of whom are decidedly not French.
Join Times writers Mary McNamara and Meredith Blake as they weigh in on the audacious spectacle.
The 2024 Paris Games are a made-for-TV Olympics with the Eiffel Tower, Château de Versailles, the Seine, and the Grand Palais each hosting events.
12:03 p.m. Leave it to our “American Idol” Kelly Clarkson to identify the glorious singer, who is Axelle Saint-Cirel, a French mezzo-soprano. Maybe if we slip Miss Kelly a fiver she’ll tell us who the torch bearer is? — M.B.
12:02 p.m. Statues of famous French women rising from columns along the Seine — apparently of the 260 statues in Paris, only 40 are women. Mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel sings “La Marseillaise,” the national anthem of France, from atop the Grand Palais. In the rain. Amazing. — M.M.
11: 59 a.m. Yet another wonderful performer goes unidentified by the commentators at NBC. Who was that singing La Marseillaise, the French national anthem? Who knows! — M.B.
11:58 a.m. Yeah, one of my friends just asked, “Why Minions?” And I said, “NBC/Universal.” — M.M.
11:55 a.m. Something tells me this Minions bit was not part of Thomas Jolly’s grand vision for this day and is more about paying tribute to NBC’s parent company than the glories of French culture. — M.B.
11:54 a.m. But we are not the only ones trying to guess. — M.M.
11:54 a.m. Oh my god, now the Torch Bearer has gone black and white and into space. I feel like Butch and Sundance: Who is this guy? Apparently Tony Estanguet, one of the Games’ organizers, said he is the only one who knows the person’s identity and he ain’t saying. — M.M.
11:50 a.m. Iraq and Ireland are sharing a boat, somewhat randomly. As Mike Tirico points out, awkwardly, Iran and Iraq weren’t about to share a vessel, even if they’re next to each other in the alphabet. — M.B.
11:49 a.m. Ireland! That’s it. That’s the post. — M.M.
11:48 a.m. The lights of Paris are beginning to illuminate, making the big faces emerging from the Seine —reproductions of famous art works — seem even more unworldly. — M.M.
11:48 a.m. The delegation from India has the most impressive boat so far — what appears to be a floating restaurant. I hope the food is good. — M.B.
11:46 a.m. I am determined to crack the Case of the Mystery Torch Bearer by the time these boats reach their destination. Currently googling “most famous parkour athletes in France.” Will report back promptly. — M.B.
11:45 a.m. I think I have found my Halloween costume for this year. Minus the ziplining. — M.M.
11:44 a.m. I like the parade of nations but I want a movie short following the Torch Bearer who is giving very Assassin’s Creed vibes. — M.M.
11:43 a.m. This pianist, unidentified by NBC of course, is killing it and you can see how hard it is raining by the pattering pools of water on his piano. — M.M.
11:43 a.m. Now we’re back to the parade of nations, which I sincerely love. The tiny delegation from Eswatini, a country in southern Africa, gets my vote for Most Infectiously Enthusiastic so far. — M.B.
11:42 a.m. I am loving the whole Louvre storyline and now it appears the Mona Lisa has gone missing...maybe she is the Torch Bearer! — M.M.
11:41 a.m. This is France, Mary. It’s never too soon. — M.B.
11:41 a.m. I was going to suggest Elizabeth II but didn’t know if it was too soon. — M.M.
11:35 a.m. Some of the athletes are wearing transparent rain ponchos, like the kind you wear when you ride Splash Mountain. — M.B.
11:34 a.m. Your logic is sound, Mary. But I’m gonna go with my gut and guess that it’s a reincarnated Queen Elizabeth. Now that would be something. — M.B.
11:33 a.m. Meredith, as their face is veiled, I suppose it is possible that there are several or many torchbearers wearing the same costume, but the figure was doing serious parkour, not to mention ziplining, so I am betting it is Judi Dench. — M.M.
11:33 a.m. The rain appears to be picking up. The risk you take with such a large outdoor opener. Mercifully, Paris is beautiful rain or shine. — M.M.
11:32 a.m. I am starting to wonder if the identity of this masked torch bearer is going to be revealed at some point, Scooby Doo-style. Mary, care to hazard a guess as to who’s behind that mask? — M.B.
11:30 a.m. Aya Nakamura performs on the Pont de Concorde, leading to Place de la Concorde where the revolutionary guillotine did its work. Not my favorite human in the world — the mysterious torch bearer — is in the Louvre where figures from famous paintings appear to gather in the windows to watch the procession down the Seine. — M.M.
11:24 a.m. NBC needed to hire the Rose Bowl parade hosts who know what is going on down to the number of seeds on the toucan’s beak. — M.M.
11:24 a.m.Well I can’t be sure but I think that’s the first menage-a-trois to be featured in an opening ceremony. How very French. — M.B.
11:23 a.m. Meredith, I think the Times shold have sent us to Paris last week so we could familiarize ourselves with these landmarks. — M.M.
11:23 a.m. A tiny bit of context here and there would go a long way. — M.B.
11:21 a.m. I feel that NBC is failing us. I understand them not wanting to interrupt the drama too much but could they please identify performers, buildings etc. There is a dance troupe swaying on poles on what I think is the Pont au Change bridge while other dancers perform in the National Library. — M.M.
11:19 a.m. Mary, thank you for making more sense of this than Peyton Manning is able to do. — M.B.
11:18 a.m. Prediction: this is the part where they bring out the guillotines! So metal! — M.B.
11:17 a.m. Les Miz to heavy metal by the band Gojira at the Conciergerie, where Marie Antoinette was held prisoner before her death — as noted by figures of women in the windows, all dressed in red and holding their bewigged-heads. — M.M.
11:15 a.m. This segment is called “Liberty” and begins with ... a death metal concert? — M.B.
11:14 a.m. It is hard to keep track of where everything is happening and the NBC commentators are not helping. A big dance number going on the right bank. A guy doing a solo dance number high above the river on a platform that looks very green-screen. But back to cool torch bearer and now, finally, an evocation of Les Miz! WHO IS THE TORCH BEARER??? — M.M.
11:14 a.m. First appearance by Michael Phelps and his manbun! — M.B.
11:13 a.m. I honestly wasn’t expecting that luggage would play such a pivotal role in this event. — M.B.
11:12 a.m. I must say whoever is currently carrying the torch is pretty damn cool and I love the costume. Now running toward the mint where the medals were made. — M.M.
11:08 a.m. Now a group of dancers on scaffolding on Notre Dame honors those working to rebuild it. The torch is now making its way through a Louis Vuitton workshop. — M.M.
11:06 a.m. Following a team of pink-clad can-can dancers! — M.B.
11:05 a.m. The torch is now on a zipline. — M.M.
11:05 a.m. NBC cuts to an interview with Simone Biles’ family. She won’t be participating in the ceremony because she has to rest up — but hey, Snoop Dogg is here! — M.B.
11:04 a.m. It is very chaotic, with the torch now currently doing parkour over Paris and all the boats filling the Seine. Pink appears to be the big color among the crowds lining the banks and I swear I just saw someone in a Joan of Arc costume. Possible? — M.M.
11 a.m. As much as I am enjoying the novelty of this ceremony I am also feeling strangely disoriented about what is going on where. I need a little red dot tracking the parade’s progress on a map of the Seine. Please, help the ignorant Americans process this spectacle! — M.B.
11 a.m. According to NBC, Gaga was singing “Mon Truc En Plume,” a tribute to French dancer and actress Zizi Jeanmaire. — M.M.
10:57 a.m. Gaga emerges from behind pink feather fans to sing “Mon Truc en Plumes” — “My Thing with Feathers” — on a set of steps leading down to the Seine. I’m guessing this is the smallest — yet also the biggest — stage she’s played on in some time. — M.B.
10:50 a.m.: As noted by NBC which is posting [Singing in French] rather than, you know, a translation. Am fairly sure they could have gotten a hold of the lyrics. — M.M.
10:50 a.m. A glimpse of Team USA in their Ralph Lauren blazers. Awaiting Canada in Lululemon. But first, Lady Gaga! — M.M.
10:49 a.m. And now we’ve got our first real performance, and it’s Lady Gaga! Singing in French, no less. — M.B.
10:47 a.m. Excuse me, that was “And Just Like That.” Don’t get it twisted. — M.B.
10:46 a.m. Meredith! So impressed with the “Sex and the City” ref! — M.M.
10:46 a.m. It’s been less than 15 minutes and we’ve already gotten a mention of E. coli levels in the Seine. Thanks, Mike Tirico. — M.B.
10:45 a.m. You gotta love Albania, sending eight athletes. Right behind is Germany with 463. — M.M.
10:44 a.m. Well, Mary, that is one more bridge than I can name. Is that the one with all the locks on it? Or the one where Carrie dumped Big’s ashes? Maybe we should bust out Google maps and make some educated guesses. — M.B.
10:43 a.m. The first few national delegations have arrived via boat. I am suddenly very curious about how they decided which country got which boat and who winds up with the biggest wreck. Time till tell. — M.B.
10:42 a.m. Meredith! The only bridge in Paris I can name is the super fancy one, the Pont Alexandre III. Can you do better or should I start Googling as the teams begin making their way down the Seine? — M.M.
10:41 a.m. Now kids are out on Seine, hooded rower still mysterious but the ceremony has now begun with an explosion of red, white and blue smoke. — M.M.
10:40 a.m. I hope this means a Jean-Luc Godard montage will be forthcoming. — M.B.
10:40 a.m. I nearly made a joke earlier about whether there would be an “Amelie” homage in this ceremony and, lo and behold, the whole things kicks off with a short film in which Jamel Debbouze — the French-Moroccan actor you may recall as “that guy from ‘Amelie’” — passsing off the torch to legendary footballer Zinedine Zidane. — M.B.
10:37 a.m. This Olympic torch-bearing is going full on Hollywood. First, a James Bond-ian race through squares and cafes, and now kids underground in a mysterious boat with alligators? — M.M.
10:33 a.m. May never be able to get over the sight of the beach volleyball court set up in front of Eiffel Tower. For Parisians who have still not gotten over the Louvre Pyramid, this must be a lot. — M.M.
10:30 a.m. Watching the opening ceremony preview, I learn that there will be safety boats available to catch any athletes who fall into the Seine. I really cannot wait to see how this all pans out. As James Cameron can tell you, there are few jobs in showbiz harder than filming something on the water, in a boat. Now try doing it live! To quote Marie Kondo, “I’m so excited because I love mess.” — M.B.
10:19 a.m. Am very grateful that the rail attacks appear to have not caused any deaths or injuries. But let’s have a moment of silence for those Parisians who, like millions of their fellow citizens, are attempting to leave the city only to be stuck at train stations. — M.M.
10:18 a.m. In introducing Peacock’s Gold Zone, Scott Hanson had the first American-horror pronunciation of bonjour. Looking forward to many more as all the commentators deal with the names of iconic Parisian landmarks. — M.M.
10:15 a.m. Hey Meredith! Super excited to be live-blogging the Paris Olympics opening ceremony with you. Some of the games have already begun — USA women’s soccer scored their first victory yesterday. In preparation for the ceremony’s start at 7:30 p.m. Paris time, 10:30 a.m. Pacific time., several stars, including John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande (in their “Wicked” colors of green and pink), have been making their way down the red carpet. But for me, the real start of the Olympics is the appearance of Mary Carillo, who just gave us a small tutorial and the raising of snails — they’re high in protein! Let the games begin! — Mary McNamara
10:15 a.m. Good morning, Mary! Or should I say bonjour? The Olympics are about to begin and I am on a couch in New York wearing my finest Old Navy athleisure wear. Thousands of miles away in Paris, there are thousands of athletes dressed up in corporate sponsored national regalia and about to board a few hundred boats for what might be the most bonkers, but potentially fantastic, opening ceremony in recent memory. As I read up about artistic director’s Thomas Jolly’s wildly ambitious plans for the event the last few days, I have found myself growing increasingly concerned about the weather forecast today in Paris. (Mercifully, it looks like the rain has stopped.) More worrying are the seemingly coordinated attacks on the several high-speed rail lines, which have hobbled transit across the country and will certainly lend more tension to an event already full of uncertainty. All we really know about the ceremony is that it will use the city of Paris as a rolling backdrop to depict a dozen scenes from French history. What that might actually entail — a cameo for René Descartes? — is anyone’s guess. Mary, what will you be looking out for in today’s coverage? — Meredith Blake
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