Olympics Opening Ceremony 2024: How to watch, start time, and everything you need to know (2024)

Over 10,000 athletes will sail down the Seine on Friday in what is poised to be most ambitious Olympic opening ceremony ever attempted.

The 2024 Olympics, which kick off this week in Paris, are intended to "revolutionize" the Games yet remain accessible to a broad audience.

To commemorate the official start of the Olympics, which were last held in Paris exactly a century ago, organizers have spent years orchestrating a dynamic, and distinctly French, affair.

Follow along for live coverage

Over a billion people around the world are expected to tune in. Here's everything to know about the ceremony, which, if all goes to plan, will go down in Olympic history.

Stream every moment and every medal of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Peacock, starting with the opening ceremony Friday at 12 p.m. ET.

What time does the Olympics opening ceremony start?

The live NBC broadcast kicks off with a pre-show at noon ET Friday, and the ceremony itself begins at 7:30 p.m. Paris time, or 1:30 p.m. ET.

The prime-time encore telecast, which features additional content, will air later in the day for U.S. viewers, at 7:30 p.m. ET. The ceremony is expected to be over four hours.

Follow here for live coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

How can you watch the opening ceremony?

NBC will have 40 cameras capturing the action in Paris, and live coverage begins at noon ET. The ceremony will be broadcast on TV and streamed in digital format on NBC, Peacock and NBC Olympics. (NBC News shares a parent company with those entities, NBCUniversal).

A complete schedule of the events over the next two weeks can be found here.

What happens during the opening ceremony?

At the start of the ceremony, the French flag will be raised and the French national anthem will be played.

Next comes what is arguably the highlight of the ceremony: the Parade of Nations. Athletes representing 206 countries will make their ceremonial entrance into the Games. Historically, that involves marching into a stadium on foot, but this year, athletes will proceed by boat along the "main artery" of Paris, the Seine River.

"An opening ceremony has never been held outside of a stadium. There is no model; it’s absolute creation," opening ceremony artistic director Thomas Jolly told The Associated Press.

Each national delegation will ride in a boat equipped with cameras that enable immersive access for viewers.

The ceremony will begin at the Austerlitz Bridge and travel just under 4 miles down the river, landing at the Trocadéro near the Eiffel Tower. Along the way, the athletes will pass the city's most prominent icons, including the Louvre and the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral.

At the end of the route, the Olympic torch will be lit. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to speak.

Several potential roadblocks, such as security and pollution concerns, have threatened to impede the extravagant opening ceremony. However, officials maintain that they are "more than ready" as they make their final preparations.

Who are the ceremony hosts? Who is performing?

NBC's Mike Tirico will host the ceremony for the fourth time, alongside three-time Grammy-winning singer Kelly Clarkson and NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning.

Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, hosts of NBC’s “TODAY,” will have an aerial view of the ceremony from a bridge on the Seine. Maria Taylor, a commentator for NBC Sports, will also be part of the hosting effort.

The official musical performers remain unconfirmed, but Céline Dion and Lady Gaga have both arrived in Paris, further fueling speculation that they may be among the headliners.

The French newspaperLe Parisienreported that Dion, who is Québécois and often sings in French, is rumored to perform “L’Hymne à l’amour,” by one of France's most famous musicians, Édith Piaf. It would be Dion's first live performance since she was diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome in 2022.

When will Team USA appear? Who are the flag bearers?

Because the U.S. will host the next Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, Team USA is set to be the penultimate team down the river. France gets the honor of being the last boat for its home Olympics.

NBA legend LeBron James and U.S. Open tennis champion Coco Gauff are scheduled to bear the U.S. flag throughout the ceremony. Gauff, 20, will be the youngest athlete to ever carry the Stars and Stripes at an Olympic opening ceremony.

James is a three-time Olympic medalist, while Gauff will make her Olympic debut in Paris.

Kaetlyn Liddy

I’m the newsroom coordinator for NBC News Digital and cover all things gymnastics, culture and breaking news. My past work includes coverage of Simone Biles’ road to the 2024 Paris Olympics, the death of a fan at Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” and the Vermont shooting of three Palestinian students. You can often find me live-blogging major events in pop culture like the Oscars, the Grammys and the Super Bowl.

Olympics Opening Ceremony 2024: How to watch, start time, and everything you need to know (2024)

FAQs

Olympics Opening Ceremony 2024: How to watch, start time, and everything you need to know? ›

How can you watch the opening ceremony? NBC will have 40 cameras capturing the action in Paris, and live coverage begins at noon ET. The ceremony will be broadcast on TV and streamed in digital format on NBC, Peacock and NBC Olympics. (NBC News shares a parent company with those entities, NBCUniversal).

How to watch the opening ceremony of the Olympics in 2024? ›

The ceremony will air on NBC and stream on Peacock and NBC Olympic platforms — NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, NBC app, NBC Olympics app. A preview will air on NBC at noon EDT, with live coverage beginning at 1:30 p.m. and an enhanced prime-time encore at 7:30 p.m.

What happened at the opening ceremony of the Olympics in 2024? ›

Top moments from the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony:

Athletes arrived via boat and cruised down the Seine for the Parade of Nations. The ceremony highlighted historic Paris landmarks, including the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral and the Louvre.

What is the Olympics opening ceremony order? ›

How does the Olympics decide the order of the Parade of Nations? As outlined by the International Olympic Committee, countries appear in alphabetical order, according to the language of the host country. So for example, Germany, "l'Allemagne" in French, appeared before China, "la Chine."

What time will the opening ceremonies air in the US? ›

The 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony will start at 1:30 p.m. ET on Friday, July 26, on NBC and Peacock. NBC will also re-air the ceremony at 7:30 p.m. ET for primetime.

Can I rewatch the Opening Ceremony? ›

The ceremony will also be rebroadcast on NBC at 7:30 p.m. ET, and Peacock should have it on-demand in case you miss it the first time. Peacock is the best US streaming option if you want to see absolutely every part of the Olympics, including events that are on at the same time.

What is the main symbol that is lit during the Olympic Opening Ceremony? ›

The Olympic flame: A symbol of peace

The Olympic flame has been a symbol of peace and friendship among nations since antiquity. To ensure its purity, the flame is always lit by the sun's rays caught in the center of a parabolic mirror.

What is the controversy with the Olympics in 2024? ›

There are various concerns and controversies related to the 2024 Summer Olympics, including security concerns, human rights issues, and controversy over allowing Israel to participate amidst the Israel–Hamas war, and allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

What was controversial about the Olympics opening ceremony? ›

In one scene, drag queens and dancers lined a long table in an image that sparked controversy after some connected the moment with Leonardo da Vinci's “The Last Supper” portrait of Jesus Christ and his 12 apostles.

Which sport is removed from the 2024 Olympics? ›

With breaking, sport climbing, skateboarding, and surfing all earning roster spots in the 2024 Paris Games, their promotion sadly means that multiple sports are getting the boot. Come July, three sports will be absent from the City of Light, including karate, softball and the heavy hitter, baseball.

How many boats are in the Olympic opening ceremony in 2024? ›

The boats are docked, the cauldron is lit and the 2024 Olympic Games are officially underway. The opening ceremony was not held in a stadium for the first time in Olympic history as the Seine entertained 85 boats.

What happens at the Olympics opening ceremony? ›

The ceremonies combine ritual elements from the Olympic Charter (the rules and principles of the International Olympic Committee) such as the athletes' parade and the raising of the Olympic flag, and cultural performances designed by national organisers.

How long was the opening ceremony in 2024? ›

The ceremony will conclude in front of Trocadéro, where the ceremonial lighting of the Olympic torch will take place. NBC, the official broadcaster for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games has allotted four hours for live coverage from 1:30 p.m. ET to 5:30 p.m. ET.

How to watch the entire opening ceremony of the Olympics? ›

How can I watch the opening ceremony? The ceremony will air on NBC and stream on Peacock and NBC Olympic platforms — NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, NBC app, NBC Olympics app.

How to watch the Olympics opening ceremony in 2024? ›

The NBC broadcast network and streaming service Peacock are the company's primary platforms for its coverage of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

What time and channel is the Olympics opening ceremony? ›

What time does the Olympics opening ceremony start? The live NBC broadcast kicks off with a pre-show at noon ET Friday, and the ceremony itself begins at 7:30 p.m. Paris time, or 1:30 p.m. ET. The prime-time encore telecast, which features additional content, will air later in the day for U.S. viewers, at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Where can I watch the full Olympic opening ceremony? ›

The ceremony will be broadcast on TV and streamed in digital format on NBC, Peacock and NBC Olympics.

How to watch the Olympics 2024 for free? ›

Peacock. Peacock is the official streamer of NBC, so you can watch all of the 2024 Paris Olympic games on the service.

Who is broadcasting the Olympic opening ceremony? ›

It won't be hard. Since NBC's broadcast channel is the primary spot airing the ceremony, you can watch for free with a good HD antenna.

Can I watch the Olympic opening ceremony on Peacock? ›

Peacock subscribers will have the most access to the events at the 2024 Summer Olympics, with Peacock being the only way to watch every Olympic event this summer. That's good news for fans looking for one place to find all the terrific Olympic competitions happening in Paris.

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