The opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics took place on 26 July across Paris, beginning at 19:30 CEST (17:30 UTC). As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proceedings included an artistic program showcasing the culture of the host country and city, the parade of athletes and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. The Games were formally opened by the president of France, Emmanuel Macron.

For the first time in modern Olympic history, the opening ceremony was held outside of a stadium, with most of the procedures and performances taking place in several Paris landmarks and across the Seine River and most of the official protocols taking place at a temporary stadium in the Jardins du Trocadéro. The programme consisted of twelve chapters and featured a mix of live performances with filmed segments and animated sequences.

The ceremony received a mixed reception, with many praising the performances of Gojira, Aya Nakamura, Celine Dion and Lady Gaga, while criticism was directed at the length, poor weather conditions, technical issues, and some elements of the production itself.[2][3][4][5][6] Most French newspapers praised it, while conservative and Christian French commentators rejected it as ‘woke propaganda’.[7]

On the same day of the opening ceremony, a series of arson attacks damaged the lines of the French railway system.[8] International and domestic rail services were widely disrupted,[9] with around 800,000 passengers affected.[10] There was also an attempted attack on LGV Sud-Est line, though it was interrupted by TGV maintenance workers who happened to be on site.[11]

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