How to watch the 2024 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris will take place on Friday.

Instead of the traditional march to the stadium, some 10,500 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). That will be the beginning of the ceremony, not the end, another departure from tradition.

What time does the opening ceremony start?

The ceremony will begin at 1:30pm ET/7:30pm CET and is expected to last over three hours.

Where will the opening ceremony take place?

The parade begins at the Austerlitz Bridge next to the Jardin des Plantes and follows the course of the Seine from east to west. It sails around two islands in the city centre before passing under several bridges and gates. Athletes on board the boat will be able to see several Olympic venues, including La Concorde Urban Park (3X3 basketball, breakdancing, freestyle BMX cycling, skateboarding), the Invalides (archery, athletics – marathon finish, road cycling – start of the time trial) and the Grand Palais (fencing, taekwondo). The parade ends at the Iena Bridge, which connects the Eiffel Tower on the Left Bank with the Trocadéro on the Right Bank. The ceremony will conclude at the Trocadéro. There, among other ceremonial procedures, French President Emmanuel Macron will give an opening speech.

How can I watch the opening ceremony?

The ceremony will be televised on NBC and streamed on Peacock and NBC Olympic platforms — NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, the NBC app, the NBC Olympics app.

The preview will air on NBC at 12:00 p.m. ET, with the live broadcast beginning at 1:30 p.m. and a prime-time encore airing at 7:30 p.m.

Some 220,000 invited and security-screened spectators are expected to fill the upper levels of the banks of the Seine, while an additional 104,000 paying spectators will watch from the lower banks of the river and around the Trocadéro.

Those in Paris who were unable to secure tickets will be able to watch the ceremony on 80 giant screens set up throughout the city.

Who will perform at the opening ceremony?

In addition to the athletes who will take part in the parade, 3,000 dancers, artists and other athletes will appear in the opening and closing ceremonies. Most of the entertainment performances remain shrouded in mystery. NBC News reported that Celine Dion and Lady Gaga arrived in Paris amid speculation that one or both of the pop singers would perform at the opening ceremony.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games