How to Watch the 2024 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony

The cauldron will be lit to mark the ceremonial opening of Paris 2024.

Josh Wilson | Jul 25, 2024

Olympic rings adorn the Eiffel Tower in advance of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Below is everything you need to know about how to watch the 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony in Paris, France which will take place Friday, July 25.

What is the Significance of Olympic Opening Ceremonies?

Ceremonies have been important to the Olympic Games for much of its history, with the Opening Ceremony serving as a signpost of the commencement of the games. The key symbol at this ceremony is the Olympic cauldron being lit by the Olympic torch at the end of the torch's relay journey.

The flame is initially lit in Olympia, Greece. From there, it travels to the host city.

While the event is ceremonially important, a few events have already taken place in the few days before Friday, which is customary.

2024 Opening Ceremony Will be Unique

This year's ceremony in Paris is the first to ever take place outside of a stadium. Paris developed a bold plan for the torch-lighting this year, featuring a boat parade down the Seine, with each country getting its own boat. The parade features 10,500 athletes across a route of about 3.7 miles and more expanded spectating options for fans in Paris.

When is the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony

The Opening Ceremony for Paris 2024 will take place on Friday, July 26 with the parade starting at 7:30 p.m. Paris time. In America, that puts it at 1:30 p.m. ET 12:30 p.m. CT, and 10:30 a.m. PT.

How to Watch the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony

This year's broadcast should be exciting, with each of the country's boats outfitted with cameras to give fans near and far a close look at all of the Olympic athletes as they travel down the river.

In America, you can watch the ceremony on NBC. If you're looking for a streaming option, you can watch on Peacock or Fubo.tv. You can also watch on NBC's website for the Olympics, nbcolympics.com.

Mike Tirico will host, accompanied by Kelly Clarkson and Peyton Manning.

Published Jul 25, 2024

JOSH WILSON

Josh Wilson is the news director of the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in 2024, he worked for FanSided in a variety of roles, most recently as senior managing editor of the brand’s flagship site. He has also served as a general manager of Sportscasting, the sports arm of a start-up sports media company, where he oversaw the site’s editorial and business strategy. Wilson has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from SUNY Cortland and a master’s in accountancy from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. He loves a good nonfiction book and enjoys learning and practicing Polish. Wilson lives in Chicago but was raised in upstate New York. He spent most of his life in the Northeast and briefly lived in Poland, where he ate an unhealthy amount of pastries for six months.