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.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as How to Watch the 2024 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.