2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony

The opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics is scheduled to take place on 26 July 2024 in Paris, starting at 19:30 CEST (17:30 UTC). As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proceedings will include an artistic program showcasing the culture of the host country and city, the parade of athletes and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. The Games will be formally opened by the president of France, Emmanuel Macron.

Preparations
Planning was expected to finalize by the end of 2023, with certain rehearsals occurring in other venues without the public before the event, while others occurring on-site, which were considered as "teasers" by Thierry Reboul, the Brand, Creativity and Engagement Executive Director for the Games. The first camera shot was done in September 2023 and coverage of the event is expected to be provided by 130 cameras. The event will be broadcast to 80 giant screens along the route of the Seine. Organized by theater actor and director Thomas Jolly, it will be the first opening ceremony held outside of an Olympic stadium since the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics held in Buenos Aires. The choreography is created by Maud Le Pladec.

Attendees were originally expected to be upwards of 500,000, non-paying, and an additional 100,000 paying spectators on the lower quays of the river, for a total of 600,000, this will be the first time since the 2018 Winter Olympics held in Pyeongchang to allow international spectators following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, after the 2022 Winter Olympics opening ceremony having a reduced number of national spectators. The figures accounted for an "occupancy ratio of 3 people per" 1 m2. However, after a suggestion in May 2023 by Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the French Minister for Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, that this be limited to between 300,000 and 400,000 free of charge, and after additional concerns of security and transportation, the figure was reduced to a maximum of 300,000 in late November 2023. In late December 2023, a further reduction was posited, as security services would have preferred the ceremony in a stadium to facilitate implementing security measures. The bleachers shall stretch from the François-Mitterrand Library to the Eiffel Tower.

The public will line the banks of the Seine, sitting on 6 km stretch on the upper and lower quays of as well of rivers that cross each side of the river. The total organizing team will count between 6,000 and 8,000 personnel, including security in the days leading up to the ceremony. The ceremony itself is set to have 2,000 dancers. All personnel involved on water, air and land performances will have the total number of 45,000, with an average of 3,750 people per 1 km2. This figure does not include the roughly 2,000 security agents required to monitor the entry tents of paid ticketholders and law enforcement located on the elevated docks throughout the course. The cast and athletes will start their travel on the river from the Pont d'Austerlitz to the Pont d'Iena, in front of the Eiffel Tower until the Jardins du Trocadéro, where the main protocol is held.

In May 2023, tickets for the event went on sale via ballot for the first time, with prices ranging from €90 (£80/$99) to €2,700 (£2,390/$2,960), with the latter being the most expensive tickets overall for the Games.

In 2023 plans were made to remove the riverside book stalls during the Opening Ceremony and as a practice in November 2023 a number of book stalls were being dismantled. However, in February 2024 president Macron shelved the plan to remove the booksellers.

The total number of boats and barges will be near 160, with around 58 taking part in a reduced rehearsal carried out in July 2023, carrying athlete delegations, television crews and emergency services. In April 2023, 116 vessels from 42 river companies had been committed, with an expected 98% of all boats to be used being based in Paris and the rest from regional boat companies, like local sponsor Highfield Boats.

In February 2024, it was announced the number of spectators to attend the opening ceremony will be reduced from the 600,000 proposed spectators to around 300,000. There will be 100,000 paid tickets for the Ceremony, with around 200,000 free tickets. The next month an exact amount of 326000 tickets was stated with 104,000 paid tickets for the lower bank and 222,000 free tickets for the higher banks. The free tickets are distributed in three rounds and are aimed for families with low incomes living in underprivileged areas, sports movements, young people, people helping to organise the Olympics, including traders and city workers. As originally proposed, no free tickets will be given to tourists.

The rehearsal of the Ceremony scheduled on 24 June 2024, was postponed due to a strong flow in the Seine river. It has been rescheduled for 16 July.

Safety measures
In October 2023, following security concerns caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the 2023 Israel–Hamas war and the Arras school stabbing, both the French government and the Paris Organising Committee for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games (COJOP2024) stated there were no official plans to relocate, stating that "Plan A takes into account all of the threats." Oudéa-Castréa stated on BFM TV that they were paying attention to context and the government had been working on "adjustment variables," wishing to maintain the original format. In December 2023, President Macron stated that there were multiple scenarios for the ceremony, in case of a major security event which would force it to move from the Seine. To this, COJOP2024 stated they had "contingency plans for all identified risk scenarios: heatwaves, cyberattacks, and the ceremony is no exception." In April 2024 President Macron announced that in case of a terrorism threat, there is a plan B, and even plan C; in that case the Opening Ceremony will be moved to the Trocadero square or to the Stade de France stadium.

In April 2024 it was announced, all the buildings with a view of the Seine will have extra anti-terrorism protection. Several areas near the Seine river, metro stations and adjacent museums including the Louvre, Orsay and the Museum of Decorative Arts will be closed.

Starting with the closure of bridges from 8 July 2024, 18 days ahead of the Opening Ceremony, a security perimeter will be effective around the ceremony site from 18 July, 8 days ahead of the Ceremony. The perimeter included among others prohibition of motorized access, controlled acces for pedestrians with people within the perimeter subjected to a personal "Games pass".

Ceremony key team

 * Artistic director: Thomas Jolly
 * Music director: Victor le Masne
 * Director of Dance: Maud Le Pladec
 * Choreographer: Maud Le Pladec
 * Styling and Costume director: Daphné Bürki
 * Head Costume Master: Olivier Bériot

Commentators

 * 🇫🇷 France Télévisions: Daphné Bürki, Laurent Delahousse, Alexandre Boyon
 * 🇺🇸 NBC: Mike Tirico, Kelly Clarkson, Peyton Manning
 * BBC: Hazel Irvine and Andrew Cotter
 * 🇺🇸 Telemundo: (Spanish version)
 * 🇨🇦 CBC: Scott Russell
 * 🇨🇦 Ici Télé: (French version)
 * 🇩🇪 ARD: Tom Bartels, Friederike Hofmann
 * 🇧🇷 TV Globo: Luís Roberto, Galvão Bueno, Daiane dos Santos and Ítalo Ferreira
 * 🇧🇷 SporTV: Milton Leite, Fabiana Alvim, César Cielo and Marcelo Lins

Protocolar Elements and torch relay
The Parade of Nations, during which the 10,500 participating athletes will march categorized by delegation, will take place on the Seine, with other ceremonial events being held at the Jardins du Trocadéro. Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior, estimated that 25,000 security agents will be required and that around 35,000 police officers will be deployed for the opening ceremony.

The 80-day Olympic torch relay for the Olympic flame is being organized by COJOP2024 president Tony Estanguet. The torch was set to leave Greece by boat to Marseille, be carried through Mont-Saint-Michel, the Palace of Versailles and the French Caribbean, before finally arriving at the ceremony to light the Olympic cauldron. It was lit in Olympia, Greece on 16 April 2024, travelling through Greece for the following 10 days before being handed to COJOP2024 on 26 April at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. It left Piraeus aboard the sailing ship Belem and arrived at Marseille on 8 May 2024 under the escort of 1000 boats.

Anthems

 * 🇫🇷 National Anthem of France - TBA
 * Olympic Anthem - TBA

Host nation

 * 🇫🇷 France
 * President Emmanuel Macron
 * COJOP2024 President Tony Estanguet
 * Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo
 * President of CNOSF and UCI David Lappartient

IOC

 * Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee

International
The local organizing committee expects around 120 world leaders will attend the Opening Ceremony, next to around 160 ministers. In another report, the French government said that at least 100 heads of state and government had accepted the invitation to the Games, but did not disclose any other details.

The following international politicians have confirmed their plans to go to the opening ceremony as of July 22nd, 2024:


 * 🇦🇷 Javier Milei, President of Argentina
 * 🇦🇺 Anika Wells, Sports Minister of Australia
 * 🇧🇷 Rosângela Lula da Silva, First Lady of Brazil (representing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva)
 * 🇧🇷 André Fufuca, Sports Minister of Brazil
 * 🇨🇱 Gabriel Boric, President of Chile
 * 🇭🇷 Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, former President of Croatia
 * 🇨🇿 Petr Fiala, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic (representing President Petr Pavel)
 * 🇫🇯 Wiliame Katonivere, President of Fiji
 * 🇫🇮 Alexander Stubb, President of Finland (expected)
 * 🇩🇪 Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of Germany (expected)
 * 🇬🇷 Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece
 * 🇮🇪 Simon Harris, Taoiseach of Ireland (expected)
 * 🇮🇱 Isaac Herzog, President of Israel
 * 🇮🇹 Sergio Mattarella, President of the Italian Republic
 * 🇱🇺 Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
 * 🇲🇽 Jesús María Tarriba, First Gentleman-elect of Mexico (representing President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum)
 * 🇲🇨 Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco
 * 🇲🇪 Milojko Spajic, Prime Minister of Montenegro
 * 🇳🇱 King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands
 * 🇳🇱 Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange
 * 🇳🇱 Princess Alexia of the Netherlands
 * 🇳🇱 Dick Schoof, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
 * 🇵🇾 Santiago Peña, President of Paraguay
 * 🇺🇦 Denys Shmyhal, Prime Minister of Ukraine (representing the President Volodymyr Zelenskyy) (expected)
 * 🇬🇧 Anne, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom (representing King Charles III)
 * 🇬🇧 Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (expected)
 * 🇺🇸 Jill Biden, First Lady of the United States of America (representing President Joe Biden)
 * 🇺🇸 Jennifer Newsom, First Partner of California