The Paris 2024 Olympics is set to break with tradition and hold its opening ceremony along the River Seine, event organisers have announced.
Crowds of up to 600,000 are expected to flock to the event –the first to be held outside a stadium at a summer Olympic Games.
More than 160 boats and officials, representing more than 200 nations worldwide, will make the 6km (3.7-mile) journey between Pont d’Austerlitz and Pont d’Iena bridges in central Paris.
26/07/2024 - Are you ready for this?
— Paris 2024 (@Paris2024) December 13, 2021
On the River Seine, the most spectacular & accessible Opening Ceremony in Olympic history. Open to all, open to you!
Sur la Seine, la plus grande cérémonie d'ouverture des Jeux Olympiques. Ouverte à tous, ouverte à vous !#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/5th1CEeZAe
They will pass the French capital’s most iconic landmarks including Notre Dame, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.
Organisers hope it will be “the most spectacular and accessible ceremony in Olympic history”.
The 2024 Olympics is set to take place between July 26 and August 11.
“The Games is a unique, once-in-a lifetime experience,” said Tony Estanguet, head of the organising committee.
“We want people to feel it. [The boats] will pass along the iconic landmarks of Paris - Notre Dame, the Orsay and Louvre museums, the Pont Neuf [Paris’s oldest bridge], the Pont Alexandre III, the Grand Palais, the Eiffel Tower.
“It will be the first time people have free access to the opening ceremony, and not just in a stadium. It will also be a popular event.”
The lower part of the river bank will be ticketed, with free entry to the upper parts, while 80 giant screens will be installed along the route.
The closing ceremony is set to be held at the gardens and fountains of the Trocadero, overlooking the Eiffel Tower.
