Paris is gearing up to host a highly-anticipated opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympic Games.
A few events are already off and running, but the Games will be officially declared open in the heart of France's capital city on Friday evening (Saturday morning AEST).
It will be the first opening ceremony in Olympic history to be held outside a stadium, with athletes set to parade down the Seine on boats in front of roughly 300,000 spectators.
MORE: Full Australian Olympics squad for Paris 2024
Olympics opening ceremony start time in Australia
The opening ceremony in Paris is scheduled to begin at 7:30 pm local time on Friday, July 26.
For east coast viewers in Australia, it will all get underway at 3:30 am AEST on Saturday, July 27.
Here's how that looks across the country:
| Time zone | Start time |
| AEST | 3:30 am |
| ACST | 3:00 am |
| AWST | 1:30 am |
Olympics opening ceremony schedule, finish time in Australia
A specific running order for the ceremony has not been made public, although it is expected to last roughly four hours.
Organisers have stated it will reach a 'climax' at 9:30 pm local time (5:30 am AEST) as the sun sets, with a finish at approximately 11:30 pm local time (7:30 am AEST).
When will Australia enter the opening ceremony? Olympics Parade of Nations order
Australia will be third last – 203 of 205 – in the Parade of Nations order.
Typically, Australia are introduced early in the ceremony due to their position in the alphabet.
However, as an upcoming host of the Games (2032), they will precede the United States (2028), with the current hosts France held until the end.
As is per tradition, Greece will be the first out in the Parade of Nations, followed by the Refugee Olympic Team.
Nations will then be introduced in alphabetical order using the French language.
How to watch the Olympics opening ceremony in Australia: TV channel, free-to-air guide, live stream
The Nine Network has full broadcast rights in Australia for the Olympic Games, including the opening ceremony.
Fans can tune in to the ceremony on free-to-air television via Channel 9, with the broadcast beginning at 3:00 am AEST.
It will also be available to stream on 9Now and subscription service Stan Sport, with the latter providing a 4K broadcast option.
Sarah Abo, James Bracey and Dylan Alcott will host the program, with Ally Langdon, Karl Stefanovic and Todd Woodbridge narrating the ceremony.
