Olympics opening ceremony best moments: Rain-soaked USA entrance, Celine Dion performance highlight start to 2024 Paris Games

By | July 26, 2024
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The 2024 Olympics officially kick off on Friday, and they’re expected to begin with an opening ceremony unlike any other. 

Rather than taking place in an Olympic venue, the opening ceremony will go through the heart of Paris. Athletes will be welcomed into the city on boats traveling through to the Seine River, greeted by an estimated 300,000 fans along its banks.

The event is a massive security undertaking, given so much of it is taking place outdoors, but the result is likely to be something not seen in Olympic history. Thousands of athletes will participate in the parade of nations, which begins with Greece and flag bearer Giannis Antetokounmpo as a tribute to the ancient Olympics that served as inspiration for the modern games.

MORE OPENING CEREMONY: How to watch | Inside the route | Who will light the torch?

After Greece and the Refugee Olympic Team, countries will parade in based on alphabetical order in French. The exceptions are Australia, the United States and France, which will be the last three nations to enter as the future and current Summer Olympics hosts, respectively.

The Sporting News is following live updates and highlights from the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Friday. Follow along with all of the key moments below.

MORE: Watch the Olympics opening ceremony live with Fubo (free trial)

Olympics opening ceremony live updates, highlights from 2024 Paris Games

(All times Eastern)

5:30 p.m. — The view of the cauldron hovering over the heart of Paris will be the lasting image from this four-hour ceremony.

5:27 p.m. — Celine Dion is now delivering a moving performance to end the ceremony. She hasn’t performed much at all in recent years due to a rare disease she’s been battling.

5:23 p.m. — Teddy Riner and Marie Jose-Perec light the Olympic cauldron, which takes the form of a hot air balloon that lifts off.

5:08 p.m. — What we still don’t know: Where is the Olympic flame going to be lit? Who will light it? Will Celine Dion perform?

5:00 p.m. — Rafael Nadal is now on a boat with the Olympic flame, and Serena Williams appears to be right there with him. 

4:59 p.m. — Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal surprisingly just received the Olympic torch from Zinedine Zidane. Nadal isn’t French, but he has a long history of dominance in the French Open and is nearing the end of his career. The torch’s journey continues…

4:44 p.m. — The head of the Paris 2024 organizing committee is the first of a few speakers addressing the crowd.

4:28 p.m. — An individual being called the spirit of the Olympics has arrived at the venue with the Olympic flag. 

4:11 p.m. — John Lennon’s “Imagine” is being performed by Juliette Armanet next to a flaming piano on the Seine River.

4:08 p.m. — The festivities will now move inside for more performances and the lighting of the Olympic torch.

3:53 p.m. — The crowd erupts as France and its 571 athletes are introduced on a massive boat.

3:50 p.m. — Team USA has arrived! They’re a bit wet, but they’re not lacking spirit. LeBron James and Coco Gauff are at the front holding the flags. France is next.

3:49 p.m. — It’s Australia’s turn. The Australians will host the Olympics in Brisbane in 2032.

3:45 p.m. — Ukraine receives a nice ovation in its first Olympic appearance since the start of its war with Russia.

3:44 p.m. — It’s nearly fully dark in Paris, and the parade of nations only has about 14 countries left.

3:35 p.m. — In comes Serbia, but it’s tough to see whether Nuggets star and noted parade fan Nikola Jokic is on the boat.

3:30 p.m. — North Korea floats into the parade of nations. This is the nation’s first Olympic appearance since 2018, and they’re sending 16 athletes to the games. Read more about North Korea’s inclusion in the Olympics here.

3:21 p.m. — French rapper Rim’K is now performing in Paris.

3:17 p.m. — Team USA is on the move.

3:01 p.m. — Japan arrives as the rain continues to come down in Paris. The sun will set in about 36 minutes.

3:00 p.m. — Axelle Saint-Cirel with a moving performance of the French national anthem as the countries continue to parade in.

2:50 p.m. — The torch, still carried by a masked individual, is continuing its journey along the Seine River as the parade of nations rolls on.

2:46 p.m. — As Mike Tirico points out, Iran and Iraq are unsurprisingly not sharing a boat. Iraq is with Ireland, whose delegation includes golfers Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry.

2:40 p.m. — The parade of nations is up to the letter “G,” with Georgia and Ghana floating in. 

2:35 p.m. — Spain arrives with 404 athletes on one boat, including tennis star Carlos Alcaraz.

2:28 p.m. — The parade of nations resumes with Cyprus, Congo and others. 

2:22 p.m. — The ceremony is moving from the liberty portion of the night to the equality portion. It begins with a heart of smoke in the sky above the Seine River.

2:16 p.m. — Heavy metal band Gojira is performing right now while overlooking the Seine River. Appropriately, it’s starting to get dark in Paris.

2:14 p.m. — Michael Phelps is on hand! He’ll be helping out with NBC’s swimming coverage.

2:07 p.m. — The broadcast continues to show a mystery person carrying the Olympic torch. We’ll see who gets to light the flame soon…

2:03 p.m. — It’s now China’s turn to enter the Olympic Games. The weather has brightened up a bit and skies are still light.

2:02 p.m. — Canada has arrived!

1:57 p.m. — Bhutan with a fun little boat of their own. 

1:49 p.m. — And now Lady Gaga takes the stage (or the steps) with a performance in French. Celine Dion is also expected to perform at some point.

1:45 p.m. — Boat No. 5 includes Argentina and Saudi Arabia. Many boats will feature multiple countries. 

1:40 p.m. — As is tradition, Greece enters first. Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of two flag bearers on the nation’s boat. Each boat that enters is welcomed with a bit of a show, as water is spraying along the right side of the river.

1:35 p.m. — French president Emmanuel Macron has been introduced at the ceremony. He’s one of many dignitaries present in Paris, including U.S. First Lady Jill Biden. 

1:32 p.m. — The ceremony is about to get underway from Paris.

1:05 p.m. — Basketball standouts LeBron James (USA), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) and Dennis Schroder (Germany) are among today/\’s flag bearers. Here is the full list.

12:30 p.m. — We’re still waiting to find out who will light the Olympic flame for France, and that likely won’t be revealed until the very moment the individual receives the torch. 

11:55 a.m. — In case you missed it, the Olympics already got underway in the last two days with soccer and rugby starting up. Competition begins in full tomorrow.

11:45 a.m. — It has started raining in Paris, with just under two hours until the start of the opening ceremony.

10:52 a.m. — Weather will be something to watch closely today, as there is a 100 percent chance of rain in Paris. Rain might not necessarily be heavy, but it’s expected to begin before the start of the ceremony in the coming hours.

10:45 a.m. — Snoop Dogg got to carry the Olympic torch in the hours leading up to the ceremony.

Olympics opening ceremony start time

  • Date: Friday, July 26
  • Time: 1:30 p.m. 

The opening ceremony is set to begin in Paris at 1:30 p.m. ET, or 7:30 p.m. local time. NBC’s coverage of the festivities will begin at noon ET. 

NBC will broadcast a prime-time presentation of the opening ceremony at 7:30 p.m. ET. 

How to watch Olympics opening ceremony

  • TV channel: NBC
  • Live stream: Peacock, Fubo

The Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics will air live on NBC, which is again home to the Olympics.

Mike Tirico will serve as the on-air host for NBC’s opening ceremony coverage, alongside Kelly Clarkson, NFL great Peyton Manning, Maria Taylor, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb.

The event can also be streamed live on Peacock or with Fubo, which offers a free trial.

How long is the Olympics opening ceremony?

The opening ceremony is likely to last close to four hours. The ceremony spanned about three hours and 53 minutes when the Summer Games started in Tokyo three years ago, with the parade of nations alone lasting just under two hours.

The setup of this year’s ceremony is a bit different, with boats traveling through the Seine River rather than athletes walking into a venue, so that could affect the length of the festivities. Still, it’s best to settle in knowing the ceremony will take some time.

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