The final countdown to the start of the Summer Olympics on the 2024 TV schedule is here, and as a variety of big numbers indicate, it’s going to be an all-time great opening ceremony! As if this year’s games aren’t already taking place in one very iconic location – Paris, France – the City of Light is also featuring an amazing amount of people sailing the Seine on nearly 100 boats across 3.7 miles of the river. Let’s talk about what’s planned.
While most opening ceremonies for the Olympics have taken place at sports stadiums, the entirety of Paris’ event will be on the river. And yes, that’s never been attempted before. The event -- which will occur at 7:30 p.m. Paris local time, and last about four hours -- will feature 7,000 athletes on 94 boats and 3,000 dancers. The report of these fantastic numbers comes from Deadline just ahead of the huge global telecast.
That’s not all the big numbers we learned about. It’s also been said that there will be over 320,000 spectators watching the opening ceremony unfold in Paris as the boats float from the Pont d'Austerlitz and Pont d'Iéna bridges. When audiences watch the ceremony, they’ll be able to spot tons of Parisian landmarks on this path, from the Notre Dame Cathedral to the Louvre and the foot of the Eiffel Tower, where each boat will apparently arrive.
We also know that Celine Dion is coming out of retirement to perform a duet with Lady Gaga after the Canadian singer revealed a rare medical diagnosis and postponed her tour in 2022. Gaga is, of course, already having a big year, as her role in the new Joker movie alongside Joaquin Phoenix will premiere this fall. Their performance, along with the rest of the opening ceremony, is also expected to be broadcast to one billion people across the world.
Clearly, the Paris Olympics opening ceremony is going for it when you think about all the boats, bodies and work that’s going into the show. The athletes that will ride across the Seine during the celebration will account for 70% of athletes competing during the Summer Olympics, given that 10,000 are expected to be in attendance. So you better believe that this will be a spectacle.
If you want to know how to watch the 2024 Summer Olympics, there are plenty of ways to do so depending on your location. For those with a Peacock subscription, the streaming service will be a huge hub for the Paris games. We especially cannot wait to see Simone Biles in the Paris Olympics, but tons of Hollywood celebrities are set to get involved too, both as spectators and in the action. (SNL’s Colin Jost, for example, will be reporting on the Olympic surfing competitions).
The Olympics opening ceremony will start on Friday, at 1:30 p.m. ET. Can you count all the boats, athletes and dancers? Tune in to find out.