Seine

For the first time in the history of the Summer Olympic Games, the ceremony will not be taking place in a stadium. Paris 2024 is breaking new ground in sports competition by bringing sports out into the city and the same will be true for the opening ceremony, which will be held in the heart of the city, along its main artery, the Seine. 

Taking on a new guise, the parade of athletes will be held on the Seine, with boats for each national delegation, equipped with cameras to allow television and online viewers to see the athletes up close. Wending their way from east to west, the 10,500 athletes will thus cross through the centre of Paris, the overall playing field for the Games, which will showcase their sporting prowess over the next 16 days. The parade will come to the end of its 6 km route in front of the Trocadéro, where the remaining elements of the Olympic protocol and final shows will take place.

The river parade will follow the course of the Seine, from east to west over a distance of 6 km. It will depart from the Austerlitz bridge, beside the Jardin des Plantes, making its way around the two islands at the centre of the city, the Île Saint Louis and the Île de la Cité, then passing under the eight to ten bridges and gateways. On board, the athletes will get glimpses of some of the official Games venues such as the Place de la Concorde, the Esplanade des Invalides, the Grand Palais, and lastly the Iéna bridge where the parade will come to a stop before the Trocadéro for the ceremony’s final.