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The Paris Olympics opening ceremony is making history. Here’s what to know and how to watch.

Over 10,000 athletes will be making a different kind of entrance, unlike anything that has been seen before.

By Sarah Barber, The Boston Globe

July 25, 2024

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The Paris Olympics are here. But before the athletes compete, they will board about 90 boats and sail up the Seine through the heart of Paris to the Trocadero for Friday’s opening ceremony.

It will be the first opening ceremony in Olympic history to not be held in a stadium and will begin with the Parade of Nations, rather than the entertainment. It’s also one of the most accessible opening ceremonies held for the Olympics — due to its location, most spectators can attend for free.

The ceremony is expected to last over three hours. Viewers can enjoy the festivities beginning with the NBC preview broadcast at Noon EDT Friday, followed by live coverage beginning at 1:30 p.m. In addition to the broadcast, the ceremony will be available to stream on Peacock. Mike Tirico hosts the broadcast; the Olympic broadcasting veteran will be joined by talk-show host and singer Kelly Clarkson and Super Bowl champ Peyton Manning to cover the event. “Today” show hosts Hota Kotb and Savannah Guthrie will be offering commentary from a bridge on the Seine, as will rapper Snoop Dogg. NBC sports host Maria Taylor will be riding on one of the Team USA boats.

NBC will re-air the opening ceremony in primetime Friday from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m.

More than 10,000 athletes representing 206 national Olympic committees will launch on boats from Pont D’Austerlitz and pass Parisian landmarks like the Notre-Dame, the Hôtel de Ville, and the Louvre before concluding at Pont D’Iéna in front of the Trocadero, a 3.730mile route. According to NBC, approximately 120 heads of state, government, and sovereigns will also be in attendance.

The Parade of Nations will follow Olympic tradition: It will begin with Greece, the birthplace of the Games, and close with the host country. The French NOC will be preceded by Australia and the United States, the nations hosting the 2032 (Brisbane) and 2028 (Los Angeles) Olympics, respectively. After Greece opens the Parade of Nations, next will be the Refugee Olympic Team, followed by the national committees in alphabetical order.

Due to an IOC ruling, Russian and Belarusian athletes will compete as Individual Neutral Athletes, and will have neither their flag displayed nor their national anthem played should they make the podium — and they won’t participate in the Parade of Nations. The sanctions came first in 2018 as condemnation for a widespread Russian doping effort, and were strengthened in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Tennis star Coco Gauff and basketball icon LeBron James were voted as flagbearers for the Americans. Team USA will sail the Seine decked out in Ralph Lauren, sporting navy blue jackets and ties, light blue striped dress shirts, blue-washed jeans, and beige suede shoes.

The jacket will feature the US Olympic team logo on the right breast and Ralph Lauren’s logo on the left, plus red and white striping along the edges, wrists, and above the pockets. The dress shirt will have the same logos. Athletes will also receive a belt with an American flag and ‘Team USA’ in blue and white.

The opening ceremony for the 2024 Paralympics will take place Wednesday, Aug. 28. The Paralympic opening ceremony will also be one-of-a-kind, involving up to 184 committees and beginning with a parade on the Champs-Élysées, before the official parade on Place de la Concorde for ticket holders.

Closing ceremonies for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held at the Stade de France. The Olympic closing ceremony will be held Sunday, Aug. 11 at 3 p.m., and the Paralympic closing ceremony will be held Sunday, Sept. 8 at 2 p.m.

How to watch the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony

Preview coverage: Begins at noon EDT Friday on NBC and Peacock

Live coverage: Begins at 1:30 p.m. EDT Friday on NBC and Peacock

Primetime coverage: The opening ceremony will re-air in primetime on NBC Friday from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. EDT

Streaming: NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, the NBC app, and the NBC Olympics app will also stream the ceremony. See all the details on how to watch the Olympics here.