As rain fell in Paris last Friday night, hundreds of thousands of spectators gathered along the banks of the River Seine to watch to the 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony. The parade of participants took place on boat, as athletes traveled down the Seine from Pont d’Austerlitz to Pont d’léna, which links with the city’s most recognizable icon at its southeastern end. As the torch progressed, spectators were treated to a dazzling light show at the Eiffel Tower.
At 7:30 p.m. local time, the ceremony officially kicked off in the City of Light.
The ceremony consisted of 12 chapters (including a prologue and an epiloge, the latter entitled Éternité), with each featuring performances and displays at iconic locales throughout the city. During the penultimate sequence, Solennité, the spectacular light show emanated from the Eiffel Tower as deaf dancer Shaheem Sanchez performed on a nearby stage to Marc Cerrone’s “Supernature.” As the light show lit up the sky, stars and Olympic legends such as Carl Lewis and Nadia Comăneci carried the torch.
As light danced up and down the tower and out into the Parisian night, the Olympic rings adorning the tower shone brightly for all to see.
Another breathtaking site was the Olympic Cauldron, designed to look like a hot air balloon and standing over 90-feet high. The Cauldron was “lit” as part of the final act of the ceremony. This games’ version is noteworthy in that it involves no actual fire – the “flames” are made of a combination of light, electricity, and water.(1)
Click here to watch a video of the light show at the Eiffel Tower from NBC Sports.
References
1.) Lee, Eleanor. “Paris 2024 Olympics: Innovative Flying Olympic Flame Takes Centre Stage” (28 July 2024). Olympics.com. https://olympics.com/en/news/paris-2024-olympic-flame-takes-centre-stage