For the first time in history, the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will not take place in a stadium. On July 26, 2024, thousands of athletes will parade aboard boats on the Seine in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators.
What's more, Paris 2024 breaks with the codes of sporting competition by bringing sport into the city and into the opening ceremony. The city will become the living backdrop for an exceptional moment, with the various tableaux of a total spectacle showcasing the monuments, bridges and cultural establishments lining the Seine.
Throughout the ceremony, they will be mixed with artistic performances, illustrating Paris 2024's determination to stage Games for and by the athletes.
The river show will follow the course of the Seine, from east to west over 6 km. Departing from the Pont d'Austerlitz, in front of the Jardin des Plantes, it will skirt around the two Parisian islands of Ile Saint Louis and Ile de la Cité, passing under eight to ten bridges and footbridges, the scene of the shows that will punctuate the route.
The parade will take place on boats dedicated to the national delegations, equipped with cameras to enable viewers to get up close and personal with the athletes. Sailing from east to west across Paris, the 10,500 athletes will stroll through the playground, which will magnify their performances for sixteen days.
Aboard their boats, the athletes will catch a glimpse of some of the Games' official sites, such as the Place de la Concorde, the Invalides esplanade, the Grand Palais, and finally the Pont d'Iéna, where the stroll will end in front of the Trocadéro and its official grandstand for a grand finale of protocol and spectacle.
Other historic monuments on the route: Notre-Dame de Paris, Louvre, Pont des Arts, Pont Neuf, Pont Alexandre III and Musée d'Orsay.
The ceremony will be open to as many people as possible, and will be free of charge. On the upper quays, spectators will enjoy free access. On the lower quays, between the Pont d'Austerlitz and the Pont d'Iéna, spectators will have to pay for tickets. Thanks to these arrangements, hundreds of thousands of spectators are invited to join in the festivities on the quays and bridges of Paris.