The opening ceremony along the River Seine takes place this evening in Paris – here are all the channels to watch the Olympics on in the UK, US and abroad
In 2021, the Olympics looked a lot different. The Tokyo Games were postponed a year due to COVID, with many events held in empty stadiums. As such, the whole event was scaled back compared to the usual affair.
However, the Paris Games will be a return to form. The French capital will host a spectacular opening ceremony along the River Seine and introduce breakdancing to the line-up of sports.
If you’d like to catch all the action of the XXXIII Olympiad, we have everything you need to know, including the start date and time of the opening ceremony, the channels and streaming services the games will be on, the broad schedule of events and more.
You can also check out 10 events you shouldn’t miss from the Paris 2024 Olympics.When is the Paris 2024 Olympics?
There’s not long to wait, as the Paris Olympics ‘officially’ kick off tonight, Friday 26 July 2024 with the opening ceremony.
However, there are a few select events such as football, handball, archery and rugby that kicked off on Wednesday 24 July.
The closing ceremony will take place on Sunday 11 August 2024. A few weeks after that, the Paralympics will begin. When does the Paris 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony start?
Here’s what time the opening ceremony for this year’s Olympics takes place across the world tonight, Friday 26 July 2024:
UK – 6:30pm BST
East Coast US – 1:30pm ET
West Coast US – 10:30am PT
France – 7:30pm CET
The organisers have dubbed this as the “largest-ever” opening ceremony, drawing on the natural sunset in the city as the spectacle progresses.
There will be a 6KM crossing along the Seine, with artistic performances near the iconic monuments that Paris is known for, including the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame and the Louvre.
The athletes will be on the water in boats, marking a change from the usual parade through the stadium. If previous games are anything to go by, we may get appearances from French artists, bands and troupes, and perhaps a few famous faces making a cameo or two – Celine Dion is heavily rumoured.
