The Paris 2024 Organising Committee has confirmed the schedule for the highlight of the thirty-third Olympic Games of the modern era. The Opening Ceremony will take place in Paris at 19:30. Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024, has announced the start time for the historic Opening Ceremony, which will see 180 barges carrying athletes sail down the Seine in the heart of the French capital. 

On 26 July 2024 in Paris, the biggest and first outdoor Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games will begin precisely at 19:30 Paris time. It will take place at 10.30 in Los Angeles (USA), at 14.30 in Buenos Aires (Argentina), at 18.30 in London (England) and at 20.30 in Athens (Greece). 

Some countries in Asia and Oceania will have an early start on the 27th due to their time zone. In China's capital, Beijing, it will be broadcast at 1:30am, in Tokyo (Japan) and at 2:30am and in Brisbane (Australia) at 3:30am. 

The Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games promises to be an unprecedented experience, using the natural light of the setting sun in all its shades to illuminate the parade of the world's best athletes on the Seine, in the heart of the capital.

Paris 2024 chose this moment to synchronise the sunset with the narration of the ceremony. This combination will offer all spectators and viewers an unforgettable spectacle, day and night, in harmony with nature and the open air.

The Games will therefore begin on the water at 19:30 Paris time. On a 6 km route along the Seine, artistic performances will take place in a lively setting. A total of 12 artistic scenes will showcase the heritage of France, Paris, its monuments and bridges along the route. Several thousand athletes will race down the river in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators.

326,000 tickets have been sold and it is estimated that a further 200,000 will be able to watch the show from their own buildings overlooking the iconic river. The athletes will parade from east to west across Paris, from the Pont d'Austerlitz to the Trocadéro, past the city's most beautiful monuments: Notre-Dame de Paris, the Louvre, the Pont des Arts and the Musée d'Orsay, among others.

"We are delighted to launch an Opening Ceremony that beautifully illustrates the intersection between sport and the city. The natural light of the setting sun will add a truly poetic dimension to the event, inviting both athletes and the public to appreciate the natural beauty of the City of Lights," said former Olympic champion Tony Estanguet, who is in charge of organising the event.