Let the Games begin! Only this time, they'll begin on a river.
Yes, the Opening Ceremony in Paris will be unlike any other in the history of the Olympics.
At previous ceremonies, a stadium has provided the stage for the theatrics of the Games' opening night. In Paris, the parade of athletes will be held on the Seine, a river that runs along the heart of the city.
That will launch a two-week global competition featuring dozens of sports, hundreds of countries and thousands of athletes.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
Here’s where to watch the 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony:
When is the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony?
The Opening Ceremony at the 2024 Olympics in Paris will be on Friday, July 26. Events are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. local time, which is 1:30 p.m. ET.
What channel is the Olympics Opening Ceremony on?
NBC’s networks and streaming services has a comprehensive TV schedule featuring more than 5,000 hours of live coverage from the Paris Olympics.
That includes NBC, NBC Sports, CNBC, USA Network, Olympic Channel, Golf Channel, Telemundo Deportes, NBCOlympics.com and Peacock.
NBC will offer comprehensive coverage of the Opening Ceremony, which will air live on the network across all time zones as part of a full day of Olympic programming. Coverage begins at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT.
How can I watch 2024 Olympics coverage without cable?
The Paris Opening Ceremony can also be streamed on Peacock, NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app, which is available on Google's Google Play Store and Apple's App Store.
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.
Thousands of athletes will sail down the nearly four-mile route on boats. The parade route ends at the Trocadéro, located across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, where the final elements of the Opening Ceremony will be held.
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.
