It's finally here. The Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics is Friday.
For the first time in the history of the Olympic Summer Games, the Opening Ceremony will not take place in a stadium.
Above video: Katie Ledecky to skip Olympics Opening Ceremony
Instead, a parade of athletes will be held on the Seine River with boats for each national delegation. These boats will be equipped with cameras to allow television and online viewers to see the athletes up close.
HOW TO WATCH
A preview of the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics will air on NBC2 at noon ET on Friday.
Live coverage of the Opening Ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m. ET, and with an enhanced encore in primetime at 7:30 p.m. ET/MT/PT Friday evening.
The Ceremony is expected to last over three hours.
You can also stream the Opening Ceremony via the Peacock, NBC and NBC Olympics apps.
- Paris Preview Show | Friday, noon to 1:30 p.m. ET: Peacock , NBCOlympics.com
- Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics (LIVE) | Friday, 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET: Peacock , NBCOlympics.com
- Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics (Enhanced encore) | Friday, 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. ET: Peacock , NBCOlympics.com
WHAT TO EXPECT
The parade starts at the Austerlitz Bridge beside the Jardin des Plantes and follows the course of the Seine from east to west.
It makes its way around two islands in the center of the city before passing under several bridges and gateways. Athletes aboard the boats will get glimpses of several Olympic venues, including La Concorde Urban Park (3X3 basketball, breaking, BMX freestyle cycling, skateboarding), Invalides (archery, athletics — marathon finish, road cycling — time trial start) and the Grand Palais (fencing, Taekwondo).
The parade ends at the Iena Bridge, which links the Eiffel Tower on the left bank of the Seine to the Trocadéro district on the right bank. The ceremony’s finale is at the Trocadéro. There, among other ceremonial procedures, French President Emmanuel Macron will deliver opening remarks.
LeBron James and Coco Gauff will be flag bearers for the U.S. Olympic team at Friday's opening ceremony. Because the U.S. will host the next summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, Team USA will be the penultimate team downriver.
The home country of France will be last.
WHO WILL HOST? WHO IS PERFORMING?
Hosting the ceremonies will be NBC Olympics primetime host Mike Tirico will be joined by Grammy Award-winning artist Kelly Clarkson and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning.
"Today" hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb will also be part of the hosting effort.
Celine Dion will reportedly be performing at the Olympics Opening Ceremony on Friday, according to Variety . Dion was seen in Paris on Monday at the Royal Monceau Hotel, where rumored performer Lady Gaga is also staying, Variety reported.
While it is unknown what her performance will entail, Dion teased her appearance in an interview with Vogue France, where she said, "I’ve chosen to work with all my body and soul, from head to toe, with a medical team. I want to be the best I can be. My goal is to see the Eiffel Tower again!"
This will be Dion's first performance since being diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome in December 2022 and halting her tour.
!["I Am: Celine Dion" New York Special Screening](https://kubrick.htvapps.com/htv-prod-media.s3.amazonaws.com/images/gettyimages-2158024590-669fe4076bf28.jpg?crop=1.00xw:0.802xh;0,0&resize=136:* "NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 17: Céline Dion attends the "I Am: Celine Dion" New York special screening at Alice Tully Hall on June 17, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)")