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? ›

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.

Where can I watch the full Olympics opening ceremony? ›

How to watch the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics opening ceremony today: Livestream options, more
  • Watch the opening ceremony on Peacock.
  • $8 per month at Peacock.
  • Watch the Olympics on Sling TV.
  • Start your FuboTV free trial.
  • $77 per month at Hulu.
  • $56 with coupon at Amazon.
Jul 26, 2024

What time is the Olympics opening ceremony on TV? ›

What Time Does The Olympics Opening Ceremony Start? NBC's coverage of the Opening Ceremony will begin at 12:00 p.m. ET with a preview show. The event officially gets underway at 1:30 p.m. ET. An enhanced encore will be broadcast on NBC at 7:30 p.m. ET.

What time is the Opening Ceremony for the Olympics in 2024? ›

When will the Opening Ceremony be held? The Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will take place on Friday, 26 July. The event will start at 19:30 CEST and is expected to last more than three hours.

What happens at the Olympics opening ceremony? ›

In accordance with current Olympic protocol, the opening ceremony typically begins with the entrance of the host nation's head of state or other representative, and the president of the IOC followed by the raising of the host nation's flag and the performance of its national anthem.

How to watch the Olympics 2024 for free? ›

The Olympic games broadcast live on NBC and stream on Peacock from July 26 to Aug. 11. Olympics coverage will also air on USA Network — including men's volleyball, water polo and fencing. Simulcast coverage will be available on E!, Telemundo, CNBC and Golf Channel.

Where can I watch the Opening Ceremony for free? ›

How to watch Olympics Opening Ceremony: quick links
  • US: NBC & USA on Peacock ($7.99/month), Sling TV ($25 off first month), Fubo (one-week free trial)
  • UK: BBC iPlayer (Free)
  • Australia: 9Now (Free)
  • France: France.TV (Free)
  • Access streaming from anywhere via ExpressVPN (30-day money-back guarantee)
Jul 29, 2024

How to watch Opening Ceremony without cable? ›

The Opening Ceremony will broadcast live on NBC, which is also available on live TV streamers such as DirecTV, Sling TV, Fubo TV and Hulu + Live TV — all currently offering free trials.

Will Peacock have Opening Ceremony replay? ›

Each night's replay of “Primetime in Paris” – including the Opening Ceremony – will be available on Peacock soon after the simul-stream with NBC concludes in each time zone (typically 11 p.m. ET/PT).

What channel is the opening ceremony on? ›

TV channel: NBC

As the host network for the Olympics, NBC will broadcast the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

What channels are airing the Olympics? ›

Want to watch the 2024 Paris Olympics on TV? This year's Summer Games will be airing exclusively on NBC and on Telemundo for the Spanish-language feed. Certain events will also air live on NBCUniversal-owned channels including USA Network, E!, CNBC, GOLF Channel and Universo.

Who is performing at the Olympics opening ceremony? ›

The Olympics opening ceremony: Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, Aya Nakamura perform The opening ceremony featured a Parisian performance from Lady Gaga, a heavy metal moment with Gojira and a headless Marie Antoinette, as well as a show-stopping comeback by Céline Dion.

Where can I watch the Olympics opening ceremony? ›

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 much does it cost to watch the Olympics 2024? ›

🏅 Most expensive tickets for 2024 Olympic events

Table showing the highest priced Paris 2024 Olympic tickets. Prices do not include any tax or fees. The highest price tickets were for the opening ceremony, at $2930. The closing ceremony followed, with $1737.

Who is performing at the Olympics closing ceremony in 2024? ›

Jean-Michel Jarre is set to open and close the Paris Closing Ceremony for the 2024 Paralympics on Sunday, Sept. 8. A pioneer in electronic music, Jarre is a native of France.

Is the opening ceremony on Peacock? ›

All live streams are also available to watch on mobile, tablet and connected TV devices via the Peacock, NBC and NBC Olympics apps. You can watch every event at the 2024 Paris Olympics LIVE by subscribing to Peacock.

Who has the broadcasting rights to Olympics 2024? ›

Warner Bros. Discovery and the BBC plan to provide live and on-demand Olympics coverage on their main channels. In 2015, Discovery (as it then was) secured exclusive multimedia rights to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris across 50 European countries, including the UK.

How can I watch the Olympic closing ceremony live? ›

The Olympics Closing Ceremony will broadcast on NBC and stream live on Peacock, the official streaming home to the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

Can I watch the Olympics on Hulu? ›

With Hulu + Live TV, viewers get access to extensive coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics, including live coverage of select U.S. Olympic Trials* as well as full access to ESPN+. *Live TV plan required to watch live content on Hulu. Regional restrictions, blackouts, and additional terms apply.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Lilliana Bartoletti

Last Updated:

Views: 6102

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (53 voted)

Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Lilliana Bartoletti

Birthday: 1999-11-18

Address: 58866 Tricia Spurs, North Melvinberg, HI 91346-3774

Phone: +50616620367928

Job: Real-Estate Liaison

Hobby: Graffiti, Astronomy, Handball, Magic, Origami, Fashion, Foreign language learning

Introduction: My name is Lilliana Bartoletti, I am a adventurous, pleasant, shiny, beautiful, handsome, zealous, tasty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.