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Paris Olympics 2025: Highlights from the Grand Opening Ceremony

Billy Conley03 mins

2024 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony Highlights

For the first time in the history of the Summer Olympics, the opening ceremony took place outside of a stadium.

Athletes paraded down the Seine River on boats, passing some of Paris’ most iconic landmarks. Thousands of people watched from stands lining the river. There were also big screens set up across the city to allow as many fans as possible to watch the event.

The six-kilometer (roughly 3.7-mile) route ended in front of the famous Trocadéro, opposite the Eiffel Tower.

The ceremony closed with Celine Dion singing Edith Piaf’s “Hymne À L’Amour” from the first level of the Eiffel Tower.

The lit Olympic cauldron can be seen in the air through the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel.
The lit Olympic cauldron can be seen in the air through the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. Vadim Ghirda/AP
Canadian singer Celine Dion performs Edith Piaf’s “Hymne À L’Amour,” one of the French singer’s most well-known songs, on the Eiffel Tower at the end of the ceremony.
The lit cauldron is seen from the Louvre. Ricardo Mazalan/AP

Canadian singer Celine Dion performs Edith Piaf’s “Hymne À L’Amour,” one of the French singer’s most well-known songs, on the Eiffel Tower at the end of the ceremony. It was her first performance since her diagnosis with stiff person syndrome. Olympic Broadcasting Services/AP

The lit cauldron is seen from the Louvre.
The lit cauldron is seen from the Louvre. Ricardo Mazalan/AP
People watch the opening ceremony from a bar in Paris.
People watch the opening ceremony from a bar in Paris. Aurelien Morissard/AP
Tennis star Rafael Nadal carries the Olympic flame aboard a boat with a few famous former Olympians: from left, Carl Lewis, Nadia Comăneci and Serena Williams.
Tennis star Rafael Nadal carries the Olympic flame aboard a boat with a few famous former Olympians: from left, Carl Lewis, Nadia Comăneci and Serena Williams. Christophe Ena/AP
Volunteers carry flags on the Jena Bridge, which crosses the Seine River in Paris.
Volunteers carry flags on the Jena Bridge, which crosses the Seine River in Paris. Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images

Spectators wait for the ceremony to start.
Spectators wait for the ceremony to start. Thibault Camus/AP

Travellers from Sydney wait outside the Gare Montparnasse train station on Friday. Just hours before the opening ceremony, France’s high-speed train lines were targeted by several “malicious” acts, including arson, in what has been described as “coordinated sabotage” to disrupt travel ahead of the Games. An estimated 800,000 travelers could be affected over the weekend. Maye-E Wong/Reuters


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