A highly anticipated global sporting event that only happens once every four years deserves a grand opening.
For the 2024 Summer Olympics, the host city of Paris and the Olympic organizing committee will deliver the largest opening ceremony in Olympic history.
Here are key facts about the opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Games.
When is the opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics?
The opening ceremony will take place July 26.
What time is the opening ceremony?
The opening ceremony will begin at 7:30 p.m. Paris time (1:30 p.m. ET). Pre-show festivities will start at 6 p.m. Paris time (12 p.m. ET).
How can fans watch the opening ceremony?
The ceremony will be broadcast on TV and streamed in digital format on NBC, Peacock and NBC Olympics.
Where is the opening ceremony?
The opening ceremony will take place along the Seine River in the heart of Paris. It will mark the first time in the history of the Summer Games that the ceremony will not be held inside a stadium.
What other details make the opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics different from previous Olympic Games?
As opposed to parading through a stadium, several thousand Olympic athletes will sail along the Seine River, passing by some of Paris' most historic monuments and iconic landmarks, while hundreds of thousands of spectators look on.
The athletes will travel east to west from the Austerlitz Bridge to the Trocadéro, where the final elements of the opening ceremony and celebration will take place. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to make a speech.
The ceremony is set to coincide with the setting of the sun, providing a spectacle for both in-person spectators and television viewers.
Who is hosting the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics?
NBC's Mike Tirico will host the ceremony alongside colleagues Hoda Kotb, Savannah Guthrie, and Maria Taylor. Singer Kelly Clarkson and NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning will also be part of the hosting lineup.
Who is performing during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics?
As of the day before the opening ceremony, musical performers are unconfirmed.
How does the Olympic torch relay work?
The modern Olympic torch was first used at the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics. Inspired by ancient Greece, the torch relay signals the start of the Olympic Games, with an objective of spreading peace and friendship along its route.
After a voyage across the Mediterranean Sea, the torch carrying the Olympic flame made its way from Greece to France on May 8.
About 10,000 torch-bearers over a 69-day period will take turns hoisting the flame throughout France until it ultimately arrives in Paris on July 26 for the opening ceremony, marking the official start of the Summer Games.
LeBron James and Coco Gauff will serve as U.S. torch-bearers during the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony.
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