The 2024 Olympics in Paris are finally upon us, and thousands of athlete federations are flocking to the French capital ahead of the start of competition. Of course, the start of the Games is always marked by an opening ceremony, and this year's will be like none before.
The Seine will host this year's opening ceremony with boats for each national delegation. Viewers will have live looks onto these boats to see the athletes close up through cameras on the vessels as they embark on a six-kilometer route.
There is no admission fee for most of the route for spectators, which is also a first. There will also be several screens throughout the city for everyone to enjoy to atmosphere. The city is bound to be as crowded as ever before for the ceremony, and viewers around the world will be able to tune in, as well.
Here's everything to know about when the Olympics start including details about the opening ceremony date, time, and schedule.
MORE: Will the Seine River be ready for the 2024 Olympics?
When do the Olympics start in 2024?
- Start date: Friday, July 26
- Opening ceremony time: 1:30 p.m. ET
The 2024 Olympic Games will start on Friday, July 26, with the opening ceremony. That begins at 1:30 p.m. ET, or 7:30 p.m. local time in Paris. Note that some soccer, rugby, archery, and handball competitions will occur on the Wednesday and Thursday before the ceremony officially opens the Games.
How to watch the opening ceremony in USA
- TV channel: NBC
- Live stream: Peacock
NBC will carry live coverage of the opening ceremony and all other Olympic events through their family of networks. NBC will host the opening ceremonies starting at 1 p.m. ET on July 26, and the event will be live streamed simultaneously on Peacock.
Mike Tirico, Kelly Clarkson, and Peyton Manning will host NBC's coverage of the opening ceremonies. For those who would rather wait to watch in primetime, a re-cast will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
How long is the Olympics opening ceremony?
There isn't a set length for the ceremony, but recent ceremonies have been close to four hours in duration. The event will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET and run until around 5:30 p.m. ET. In Paris, it will run from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. local time.
Where are the 2024 Olympics?
The 2024 Olympics will be held in Paris, France. Paris was awarded the bid for the Olympics in 2017, and the Games are rumored to be costing the city about $8.2 billion.
Paris is six hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time and nine hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time, meaning many events that happen in the morning in France may have to be broadcast on tape delay for prime-time audiences in the United States and Canada.
There are 35 Olympic venues spread across France. Here is a complete list along with the sports that will take place there.
Venue | Events |
The Aquatics Centre | Artistic swimming, water polo, diving |
Bercy Arena | Artistic gymnastics, basketball, trampoline |
Bordeaux Stadium | Soccer |
Champ de Mars Arena | Judo, wrestling |
Chateau de Versailles | Equestrian, modern pentathlon |
Chateauroux Shooting Centre | Shooting |
Eiffel Tower Stadium | Beach volleyball |
Elancourt Hill | Mountain biking |
Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium | Soccer |
Grand Palais | Fencing, taekwondo |
Hotel de Ville | Athletics |
Invalides | Archery, athletics, road biking |
La Beaujoire | Soccer |
La Concorde | 3x3 basketball, breakdancing, BMX, skateboarding |
Le Bourget Sport Climbing Venue | Sport climbing |
Golf National | Golf |
Lyon Stadium | Soccer |
Marseille Marina | Sailing |
Marseille Stadium | Soccer |
Nice Stadium | Soccer |
North Paris Arena | Boxing, modern pentathlon |
Parc des Princes | Soccer |
Paris La Défense Arena | Swimming, water polo |
Pierre Mauroy Stadium | Basketball, handball |
Pont Alexandre III | Road cycling, marathon swimming, triathlon |
Porte de La Chapelle Arena | Badminton, rhythmic gymnastics |
Stade Roland-Garros | Boxing, tennis |
Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines BMX Stadium | BMX |
Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome | Track cycling |
South Paris Arena | Handball, table tennis, volleyball, weightlifting |
Stade de France | Athletics, rugby sevens |
Teahupo'o, Tahiti | Surfing |
Trocadéro | Athletics, road cycling |
Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium | Canoe slalom, canoe sprint, rowing |
Yves-du-Manoir Stadium | Field hockey |
Olympics schedule 2024
Here's a full breakdown of every sport and the dates on which events for that sport will take place. There will be live and tape-delayed coverage of these events on the NBC family of networks.
Sport | Dates |
Artistic swimming | Aug. 5-10 |
Diving | July 27-Aug. 10 |
Marathon swimming | Aug. 8-9 |
Swimming | July 27-Aug. 4 |
Water polo | July 27-Aug. 11 |
Archery | July 25-Aug. 4 |
Athletics | Aug. 1-11 |
Badminton | July 27-Aug. 5 |
Basketball | July 27-Aug. 11 |
3-on-3 basketball | July 30-Aug. 5 |
Boxing | July 27-Aug. 10 |
Breaking | Aug. 9-10 |
Slalom canoeing | July 27-Aug. 5 |
Sprint canoeing | Aug. 6-10 |
Road cycling | July 27-Aug. 4 |
Track cycling | Aug. 5-11 |
BMX | July 30-Aug. 3 |
Mountain biking | July 28-29 |
Equestrian dressage | July 30-Aug. 4 |
Equestrian eventing | July 27-29 |
Equestrian jumping | Aug. 1-6 |
Fencing | July 27-Aug. 4 |
Field hockey | July 27-Aug. 9 |
Golf | Aug. 1-10 |
Artistic gymnastics | July 27-Aug. 5 |
Rhythmic gymnastics | Aug. 8-10 |
Trampoline gymnastics | Aug. 2 |
Handball | July 25-Aug. 11 |
Judo | July 27-Aug. 3 |
Modern pentathlon | Aug. 8-11 |
Rowing | July 27-Aug. 3 |
Rugby | July 24-30 |
Sailing | July 28-Aug. 8 |
Shooting | July 27-Aug. 5 |
Skateboarding | July 27-Aug. 7 |
Soccer | Jul. 24-Aug. 10 |
Sport climbing | Aug. 5-10 |
Surfing | July 27-31 |
Table tennis | July 27-Aug. 10 |
Taekwondo | Aug. 7-10 |
Tennis | July 27-Aug. 4 |
Triathlon | July 30-Aug. 5 |
Beach volleyball | July 27-Aug. 10 |
Volleyball | July 27-Aug. 11 |
Weightlifting | Aug. 7-11 |
Wrestling | Aug. 5-11 |