But in the end, Paris was transformed into a spectacular stage – and demonstrated that bold thinking can restore some lustre to a global sporting event that has seen its popularity plummet in recent years.
A century after the 1924 Paris Olympics, Friday’s opening ceremony marked France’s return to the host country. And after two pandemic-era Olympics, silent and virtually spectatorless, they marked a triumphant renewal of the spectacle of the Games: colorful, convivial, flashy and strange — a vibrant mix of fiery patriotism and flashy internationalism.
In 2016, France had bid to host the Olympics, but it had envisioned a traditional ceremony at the Stade de France. But in the years since, organizers have begun to think of creative ways to stage the Games throughout the city. For the opening ceremony, there was no site more iconic and special than the Seine.
Thomas Jolly, the ceremonies’ artistic director, wrote that his vision was to highlight the “wish-granting and healing power” of the Parisian river at a time of global conflict and after local tragedy, including the 2019 fire that severely damaged Notre Dame Cathedral. The famous church, a symbol of France for many, took pride of place at the start of the ceremonies, when performers hung from scaffolding and rang its bells for the first time since the fire.
“Paris is standing again, jubilant, flamboyant, creative and open. Free,” writes Jolly.
For more than four hours Friday night, it was all of that.
Instead of the hackneyed choreography of a show followed by a parade of athletes, Paris interspersed the delegations’ performances with a river procession. The program unfolded through 12 “artistic tableaux,” with themes such as “liberty,” “fraternity” and “darkness,” each highlighting aspects of French history, culture and craftsmanship. Moulin Rouge dancers and the Mona Lisa made appearances, as did acrobats, models and a scene from “Les Misérables.”
The event was punctuated by stars: Lady Gaga, dressed in pink feathers, performed the cabaret classic “Mon Truc en Plumes.” Metal band Gojira and pop star Aya Nakamura brought a French touch. Celine Dion closed the ceremony with a moving rendition of “Hymn to Love” after an epic light show on the Eiffel Tower.
The decision to hold the opening ceremony on the river represented a bold – and risky – departure from the norm.
“It’s pride that comes to mind,” said political analyst François Heisbourg. “It’s a big organizational challenge, a big security challenge and a big reputational challenge if you don’t play the security card. The French have decided not to play the security card.”
Friday began ignominiously. Arson attacks severely disrupted transport just hours before the opening ceremonies were scheduled to begin. Gabriel Attal, the interim prime minister, said Friday that “acts of sabotage” had been carried out in a “prepared and coordinated manner,” affecting lines east, west and north of Paris. But local transport in the Paris region was not affected. (It remains unclear who was behind the attack; the prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation.)
Real rain clouds also gathered overhead, leaving questions throughout the day as to whether the outdoor ceremony would lose its promised luster.
On the Trocadero esplanade on Friday night, spectators sheltered from the downpour under ponchos and umbrellas. Technical staff spoke frantically into their intercoms as two of the six big screens — including the one French President Emmanuel Macron and other world leaders were watching — briefly went black.
Some journalists left early to seek drier seats. But many spectators, some of whom had paid thousands of dollars for the coveted seats at the Trocadero, remained enthusiastic and determined.
There was no spectacular sunset over the Seine. But the performances, on the banks, bridges, boats and rooftops, went off without a hitch.
A miles-long open-air boat parade could have had many negative effects. Paris is a frequent target of terrorism: attacks by Islamist extremists in November 2015 left 130 dead and more than 400 injured. Israel’s war in Gaza and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have stoked geopolitical tensions. The 1972 Munich Olympics, during which Palestinian militants killed 11 Israeli athletes and coaches, were a worst-case scenario.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced Friday that more than 50,000 security personnel had been deployed for the opening ceremony, including French police and military personnel, private companies and foreign security agents loaned by some 50 countries. Israeli athletes, some of whom have received threats in the run-up to the Olympics, have benefited from increased protection.
An AI-powered monitoring center was also deployed to detect sudden crowd movements, abandoned objects or people lying on the ground – an operation designed to thwart an attack like the 1996 Summer Olympics bombing in Atlanta.
French authorities were clearly on high alert, evacuating several sites around Paris throughout the day Friday due to bomb threats.
Drones pose another potential threat. French authorities closed the airspace within a 100-mile radius of Paris at 6:30 p.m. local time (12:30 p.m. Eastern Time), a “historic” move that paralyzed air traffic at airports in the Paris region until midnight local time. The French military coordinated anti-drone operations from a base southwest of Paris, deploying dozens of teams equipped with anti-drone equipment.
To secure the procession’s route, authorities have taken the dramatic step of blocking the Seine with a system of barricades that cut off access to the river for many residents. Workers began installing the fences and closing the bridges along the river last Thursday, eight days before the ceremonies. Joggers who had been jogging along the banks early in the morning had to scramble to force their way back through checkpoints. Cyclists found their routes suddenly cut off. Traffic near the river slowed to a crawl and the roads became impassable.
France has done everything it needs to do in terms of security, Heisbourg said. But the fortress-like perimeter of the Seine runs counter to Paris’s “Open Games” promise to make the Olympics accessible, especially to Parisians, he added.
Many Parisians who could afford it left the city before the opening ceremony began, an exodus made more difficult by arson attacks on train lines. But others stayed to watch the spectacle in their hometowns.
At Parc Clichy Batignolles Martin Luther King, a small patch of grass north of Paris, the epic opening ceremony turned into a community festival. Fans sat on folding chairs and blankets in front of a stage and a big screen. Families played cards at picnic tables. A man waved a Chilean flag. A woman had the colors of Norway painted on her face. The rain didn’t dampen the spirits of a group wearing Swiss-colored bucket hats, who began dancing and singing along to “It’s Raining Men.”
Jeffrey Juilly, 45, and Nadia Got, 39, were among the Parisians lining up outside a beer tent in the park. Juilly acknowledged that the city’s residents were divided over the benefits of the Olympics.
“A lot of people complained,” Got said. But they were part of the enthusiastic half of the city, proud of the audacity to use the Seine.
What did they hope the opening ceremony would show the world? “The wonders of Paris,” Juilly said.
In addition to making better use of existing infrastructure than previous host cities, Paris 2024 organisers have committed to ensuring the Games benefit residents of marginalised neighbourhoods across the region.
At a party in Saint-Denis, the poor suburb where the Stade de France, a major Olympic venue, is located, residents cheered as Lady Gaga appeared on the screen. In a café down the street, Mounia Seddiki, 23, was trying to get into the Olympic spirit. She lamented the heavy traffic for the opening ceremonies and the difficulty she had in buying tickets to the competitions. But as authorities have invested more in Saint-Denis to prepare for the Olympics, the streets have become safer, she said.
About eight miles away, As the parade of Olympic delegations continued down the Seine toward the Eiffel Tower, the athletes aboard the boats looked increasingly wet. By the time the U.S. team emerged, the rain had soaked the athletes’ hair and Ralph Lauren blazers. But they were still smiling broadly and taking selfies as night fell over the river.
Notably absent from the boats were the Russian and Belarusian teams. The International Olympic Committee imposed sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the Russian Olympic Federation was suspended for trying to claim athletes from occupied Ukrainian territories as its own. Some Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete in the Paris Games, but only as what the IOC calls “neutral and independent athletes.” They were not allowed to participate in the opening ceremony.
Despite the IOC’s official commitment to neutrality, the Olympics are always political — and these Games, particularly, with calls for the exclusion of Israeli athletes in light of Israel’s destructive war in Gaza.
At the end of the ceremony, framed by the arch of the Eiffel Tower and protected by an umbrella, Tony Estanguet, former French canoeist and president of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, addressed a message of unity to the athletes gathered before him.
“While the Games cannot solve all problems, while discrimination and conflict are not going away, you have reminded us tonight of how beautiful humanity is when we come together,” he said. “And when you return to the Olympic Village, you will send a message of hope to the world: there is a place where people of all nationalities, cultures and religions can live together. You will remind us of what is possible.”
Adam Kilgore, Les Carpenter, Candace Buckner, Barry Svrluga and Emily Giambalvo in Paris contributed to this report.