In Pictures: 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

See images from the spectacle along the Seine River

For the first time in history, an Olympic Games opening ceremony has moved out of a stadium and into the heart of the host city, Paris.

Smoke resembling the flag of Team France is shown
Smoke resembling the flag of Team France is shown over Pont d’Austerlitz during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
Team Greece begins the athletes’ parade
Team Greece begins the athletes’ parade past water jets and the water curtain under the Austerlitz Bridge on the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
Spectators wave flags
Spectators wave flags during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Alex Broadway/Getty Images)
Lady Gaga performs
Lady Gaga performs at Square Barye during the athletes’ parade on the River Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
Tightrope walker Nathan Paulin performs
Tightrope walker Nathan Paulin performs on a high rope during the athletes’ parade on the River Seine near the Supreme Court during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
A general view of a heart created during a aerial display
A general view of a heart created during a aerial display as boats are seen the River Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Isaquias Guimaraes Queiroz, Flagbearer of Team Brazil
Isaquias Guimaraes Queiroz, Flagbearer of Team Brazil, reacts during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
A general view of performance at the Palais de Justice
A general view of performance at the Palais de Justice during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo Getty Images>
Dancers perform on the banks of the river Seine
Dancers perform on the banks of the river Seine during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jack Guez - Pool/Getty Images)
The delegations from Cameroon, Canada, the Central African Republic, Chile and China sail along the Seine river during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024, as the Eiffel Tower is seen in the background. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) (Photo by Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
Aya Nakamura performs
Aya Nakamura performs during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Esa Alexander-Pool/Getty Images)
A torchbearer carries the Olympic flame
A torchbearer carries the Olympic flame over a building along the Seine River during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Bernat Armangue/Pool, Getty Images)
Smoke billows near windows as performers participate
Smoke billows near windows as performers participate during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Bernat Armangue/Pool, Getty Images)
Performers perform on a bridge
Performers perform on a bridge during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
Spectators with various international flags cheer from balconies
Spectators with various international flags cheer from balconies during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Carl de Souza-Pool/Getty Images)
Coco Gauff and Lebron James, Flagbearers of Team United States
Coco Gauff and Lebron James, Flagbearers of Team United States, are seen waving their flag on a boat on the River Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
A general view as members of Team United States pass water jets
A general view as members of Team United States pass water jets on the River Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
Spectators look on as athletes from Team France pass by on a boat on the River Seine
Spectators look on as athletes from Team France pass by on a boat on the River Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
The Horsewoman, wearing the Flag of the International Olympic Committee
The Horsewoman, wearing the Flag of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is seen on a Metal Horse on the River Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Alex Broadway/Getty Images)
Floriane Issert, a Gendarmerie non-commissioned officer of the National Gendarmerie, carries the Olympic flag
Floriane Issert, a Gendarmerie non-commissioned officer of the National Gendarmerie, carries the Olympic flag as she rides on the Iena bridge during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024, as the Eiffel Tower is seen in the background. (Photo by Ludovic Marin/Pool, AFP via Getty Images)
Overview of the Trocadero venue, with the Eiffel Tower looming in the background and lasers lighting up the sk
Overview of the Trocadero venue, with the Eiffel Tower looming in the background and lasers lighting up the sky, during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024 (Photo by Francois-Xavier Marit/AFP via Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal, Carl Lewis, Nadia Comaneci, and Serena Williams
Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal (2L) holds the Olympic torch next to US' athlete Carl Lewis (L), Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci (2R) and US tennis player Serena Williams (R) on the river Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. (Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images)
The torchbearers French former sprinter Marie-Jose Perec and French judoka Teddy Riner arrive to light the Olympic cauldron
The torchbearers French former sprinter Marie-Jose Perec and French judoka Teddy Riner arrive to light the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. (Mohd Rasfan/AFP via Getty Images)
A general view shows a balloon holding the Olympic cauldron
A general view shows a balloon holding the Olympic cauldron after it was lit during the opening ceremony in Paris, France on July 26, 2024. (Peter Cziborra/Pool, AFP via Getty Images)
Singer Celine Dion performs
Singer Celine Dion performs during the opening ceremony, as the Olympic rings are seen on the Eiffel Tower on July 26, 2024. (Stephanie Lecocq/Pool, AFP via Getty Images)
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