With umbrellas deployed, thousands of athletes and spectators who lined the streets of Paris officially kicked off the 2024 Olympics on Friday.
The ambitious ceremony kicked off with a giant plume of blue, white and red smoke in the colors of the French national flag with the Parade of Nations from the Austerlitz Bridge beside the Jardin des Plantes.
Pyrotechnics in the colors of the French national flag are set off over a bridge during the Paris Olympics opening ceremonies on July 26, 2024. / Credit: Sina Schuldt/picture alliance via Getty Images
Athletes aboard boats traveled the course of the Seine River from east to west, getting a glimpse of several Olympic venues including the La Concorde Urban Park, Invalides and the Grand Palais.
Giant jets of water spurted up from the river as the Greek delegation — as always — was the first boat under the bridge and along the 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) route.
American singer Lady Gaga graced the crowds with a performance at a makeshift yellow staircase in the traditional style of the old French subways.
About 220,000 invited and security-screened spectators filled the upper tiers of the Seine’s banks, and an additional 104,000 paying spectators watched from the lower riverside and around the Trocadéro plaza.
The parade ended at the Iena Bridge, which links the Eiffel Tower on the left bank of the Seine to the Trocadéro district on the right bank.
Here are more photos from the event:
Spectators wait on a balcony ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. / Credit: MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP via Getty Images
Spectators wait for the start of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. / Credit: Thibault Camus / AP
Athletes from Brazil’s delegation wave Brazilian flags as they sail in a boat along the river Seine at the start of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. / Credit: CARL DE SOUZA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Flagbearers of Canada Maude Charron (L) and Andre de Grasse are seen ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, July 26, 2024. / Credit: CAO CAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Lebron James looks on before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. / Credit: QUINN ROONEY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
A performer sits on a bridge in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. / Credit: Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP
Lady Gaga performs in Paris, France during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics on Friday, July 26, 2024. / Credit: Luca Bruno / AP
Athletes of Greece wave handheld national flags on a boat as it makes its way along the Seine in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics. / Credit: Michael Reaves / AP
Ukraine’s athletes stand on a boat ahead of the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics on the Seine River in Paris, France. / Credit: Clodagh Kilcoyne / AP
Team Bhutan during the athletes’ parade on the Seine in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. / Credit: Michael Reaves / AP
Reflections of Team Great Britain athletes are seen on the team boat as they pass under a bridge on the River Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. / Credit: Naomi Baker/Getty Images
Team Saudi Arabia waves flags on a boat in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. / Credit: Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP
