What to know – NBC Chicago

Following weeks of anticipation, the 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony in Paris has officially arrived. And this year, it will make history.

For the first time ever, the Opening Ceremony will not take place in a stadium or arena. Instead, it will take place on water — with thousands of athletes traveling down the Seine River in a floating parade.

Approximately 10,500 athletes will sail in a 3.5-mile flotilla of 94 boats down Paris’ iconic Seine River. The parade starts at the Austerlitz Bridge beside the Jardin des Plantes and follows the course of the Seine from east to west. It makes its way around two islands in the center of the city before passing under several bridges and gateways.

Athletes aboard the boats will get glimpses of several Olympic venues, including La Concorde Urban Park, Invalides and the Grand Palais. The parade ends at the Iena Bridge, which links the Eiffel Tower on the left bank of the Seine to the Trocadéro district on the right bank.

The ceremony’s finale is at the Trocadéro. There, among other ceremonial procedures, French President Emmanuel Macron will deliver opening remarks.

Organizers say the Opening Ceremony will be the largest in history.

The ambitious ceremony will officially launch a two-week global competition featuring dozens of sports, hundreds of countries and thousands of athletes, though some Games started early.

According to NBC News, the 2024 Olympic Games will see the biggest security operation in French history, with officials touting 45,000 police officers and gendarmes on duty during the Opening Ceremony and 35,000 working every day after during the competition.

Despite the security measures, France’s high-speed rail network Friday was hit with widespread and “criminal” acts of vandalism including arson attacks, paralyzing travel to Paris from across the rest of France and Europe.

French officials described the attacks as “criminal actions” and said they were investigating whether they were linked to the Olympic Games. 

Here’s what time the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony is, how to watch it and more

What time is Olympics Opening Ceremony?

The Opening Ceremony at the 2024 Olympics in Paris will be on Friday, July 26. The ceremony starts at 12:30 p.m. CT and is expected to last more than three hours.

How to watch the Olympics Opening Ceremony

Opening Ceremony coverage will air live on NBC 5 starting at 12:30 p.m. CT. Friday. The event will air again in primetime coverage starting at 6:30 p.m. CT.

NBC’s networks and streaming services have a comprehensive TV schedule featuring more than 5,000 hours of live coverage from the Paris Olympics.

What happens during the Olympics Opening Ceremony?

The highlight of the Opening Ceremony is the Parade of Nations, where thousands of Olympians representing 206 countries make their grand entrance into the Games.

This year, rather than marching into a stadium, they will arrive by boat on the Seine.

Additional festivities include the raising of the host nation’s flag and singing of its anthem, live performances that incorporate the culture of the host nation, and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.  

For the U.S., tennis star Coco Gauff has been tapped to lead American athletes during the Parade of Nations, joining NBA superstar LeBron James.