The Eiffel Tower and the Olympics rings are lit up during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024.
Paris CNN —
It was wet, parts of it were weird, much of it was beautiful and all of it was very, very memorable.
An opening ceremony unlike any other got the 2024 edition of the Olympic Games officially underway in Paris Friday night and truly it was one that will live on in Olympic legend – though maybe not in the way the Paris 2024 organizers would have hoped.
Here are five takeaways from the opening of the 2024 Olympics.
Paris shows off
It wasn’t exactly the night that Paris 2024 organizers would have hoped for (more on that in a moment). But the opportunity to put the City of Light and its culture and people on full display was well-taken on Friday.
The boats floating on the River Seine allowed for incredible Parisian scenes as they passed storied landmarks on their journey to the end of the Parade of Nations at the Trocadero, with an Olympic-rings-adorned Eiffel Tower serving as the backdrop. The famous landmark was lit up in all its glory, a veritable beacon on what could have been a dreary night.
Much of the city was used as part of the performances, including videos of a torch-bearer running across the city’s rooftops and through iconic Paris locations. While the initial part of the ceremony flicked back and forth between recorded videos and live sweeping shots of the city, it really picked up when the focus was put on Paris itself.
Parts of the city’s history and culture were acknowledged throughout the ceremony, including a heavy metal performance in the Conciergerie with the windows full of headless Marie Antoinettes backlit in red, and a fashion show catwalk that went over the river itself. Oh, and not to mention Lady Gaga performing a salute to the city’s cabaret’s culture on the banks of the river.
French judoka Teddy Riner, right, and former French track star Marie-José Pérec watch the Olympic cauldron rise in a hot-air balloon after they lit it at the end of the opening ceremony in Paris on Friday, July 26. The first hot-air balloon flight was performed in France in 1783.
The lit Olympic cauldron can be seen in the air through the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel.
Canadian singer Celine Dion performs Edith Piaf’s “Hymne À L’Amour,” one of the French singer’s most well-known songs, on the Eiffel Tower at the end of the ceremony. It was her first performance since her diagnosis with stiff person syndrome.
The lit cauldron is seen from the Louvre.
People watch the opening ceremony from a bar in Paris.
Tennis star Rafael Nadal carries the Olympic flame aboard a boat with a few famous former Olympians: from left, Carl Lewis, Nadia Comăneci and Serena Williams.
Volunteers carry flags on the Jena Bridge, which crosses the Seine River in Paris.
The ceremony speeches were held in front of the Eiffel Tower following the Parade of Nations.
French soccer icon Zinedine Zidane, right, hands off the Olympic torch to Rafael Nadal, the Spanish tennis star who has won two Olympic gold medals and a record 14 French Opens. The torch passed to various athletes before ending up with Riner and Pérec.
French President Emmanuel Macron attends the opening ceremony.
Flashes of lights illuminate the Eiffel Tower.
Floriane Issert, a noncommissioned officer of the National Gendarmerie, presents the Olympic flag at the Trocadéro.
Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris organizing committee, speaks during the opening ceremony. On the left is Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee.
Issert wore the Olympic flag as she rode a metal horse aboard a boat that traveled down the Seine River.
US flag bearers LeBron James and Coco Gauff travel with other American athletes during the Parade of Nations.
The ceremony depicted scenes from the French Revolution. Here, smoke billows near windows at the Conciergerie, the site where Marie Antoinette, the last French queen prior to the revolution, was imprisoned.
French athletes wave flags as they travel down the Seine during the Parade of Nations.
The flag of St. Kitts and Nevis is reflected in the glasses of a spectator.
This aerial photo shows the Notre Dame cathedral as boats pass by on the Seine. As part of the ceremony, the bells of Notre Dame rang for the first time since the iconic cathedral was gutted by fire in 2019. It is 90% restored.
British athletes walk near the Eiffel Tower. A steady rain fell during much of the ceremony.
Olympians from the United States travel down the Seine.
A torch bearer runs atop the Musee d'Orsay during the opening ceremony.
Spectators watch Israeli athletes during the Parade of Nations.
Performers take part in the opening ceremony.
Palestinian athletes wave flags during the Parade of Nations.
French mezzo-soprano opera singer Axelle Saint-Cirel performs "La Marseillaise," France's national anthem, on the roof of the Grand Palais.
Fans watch the ceremony near the Seine River.
Dancers perform on a roof during the opening ceremony.
Australian athletes hang out on their boat together during the opening ceremony.
Planes perform over the Seine River during the ceremony. A shape of a heart was made in the sky.
Libyan athletes participate in the Parade of Nations. Some nations shared the same boat.
A performer sits on a bridge at the start of the ceremony.
North Korean athletes wave during the Parade of Nations. North Korea was barred from competing at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing as part of its punishment for its “unilateral decision” to drop out of the Summer Games in Tokyo in 2021.
Jill Biden, the first lady of the United States, attends the opening ceremony.
Lady Gaga performs during the ceremony. She had a fresh take on the song “Mon truc en plumes” by iconic French artist Zizi Jeanmaire.
German basketball player Satou Sabally takes a selfie with other athletes on a boat during the Parade of Nations.
The colors of the French national flag are seen at the start of the ceremony.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, at center in the blue jacket, watches the ceremony from the stands.
Brazilian athletes wave flags as they travel along the Seine River.
Athletes from Greece lead the traditional Parade of Nations.
Parisians wait inside their apartment to watch the parade from a window.
Entertainers Cynthia Erivo, center left, and Ariana Grande arrive for the opening ceremony.
People stand on balconies in Paris to watch the ceremony.
French President Emmanuel Macron looks on before the ceremony.
Ukrainian athletes stand on a boat ahead of the Parade of Nations.
Security officers patrol Paris by boat before the start of the ceremony.
Spectators wait for the ceremony to start.
Law enforcement officers keep watch in Paris.
Travellers from Sydney wait outside the Gare Montparnasse train station on Friday. Just hours before the opening ceremony, France’s high-speed train lines were targeted by several “malicious” acts, including arson, in what has been described as “coordinated sabotage” to disrupt travel ahead of the Games. An estimated 800,000 travelers could be affected over the weekend.
In pictures: The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics
As the sun went down, the City of Light shone through the raindrops. The running of the Olympic Torch passed down the lit-up Seine and around the magnificent scenery outside of the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower’s light show looked incredible as it illuminated the clouds and rain with lasers and dancing beams.
It was a strong preview of what the rest of the Games will look like with some of the city’s most iconic landmarks serving as backgrounds for competition.
The rain tries to steal the show
The rain had sent a warning Friday morning and threatened through much of Friday afternoon. But Paris’ gray skies finally opened up about 30 minutes into a three-and-a-half-hour show, leading to perhaps the most drenched opening ceremony in the history of the modern Olympics.
Hundreds of thousands of spectators lined the banks of the River Seine, clad in ponchos and rain jackets, and a canopy of umbrellas sprouted up at the first hint of raindrops. But after about an hour of the wet stuff coming down in earnest, it was clear some of the crowd had had enough. In the grandstands at the end of the Parade of Nations, exposed onlookers ran for the comfort of hospitality tents and other nearby covered areas while cameras caught the occasional thinning of the crowd along the riverside.
French athletes wave flags as they sail in a boat on the river Seine during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024.
The rain was evident in the performances as dancers occasionally took tentative movements or were seen having slight slips as they performed. The water sprung off musicians’ instruments as they played and some of the boats carrying the smaller athletic delegations appeared tossed in the Seine’s waves.
But the Olympic spirit did not wilt in the rain. The athletes – standing in pouring rain days before they are about to compete in the most important competitions of their lives – looked beyond excited to wave to the crowds and France truly seemed to embrace the Games, though maybe most of the Parisians who did not had already left the city to flee the millions of people coming to watch the competitions.
Celine Dion returns in stunning fashion
This handout released by the Olympic Broadcasting Services, shows a view of singer Celine Dion performing on the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France.
After a stunning light show on the Eiffel Tower, one of the most iconic singers of the last several decades finally made her return to performing after four years.
Celine Dion has has been battlingstiffpersonsyndrome,a rare neurological condition that causes spasms, muscle rigidity, and a heightened sensitivity to stimuli, such as sound and lights. These spasms can be strong enough to fracture bone, and any fall can lead to severe injury, experts say.
Stiffpersonsyndrome is very rare. About 1 out of every 1 million people develop it and most general neurologists will see only one or two cases in their lifetimes. The condition can develop at any age and has been found to affect twice as many women as men.
The exact cause ofstiffpersonsyndrome isn’t clear, but research has shown it may be due to an autoimmune response gone awry in the brain and spinal cord. Pain relievers, anti-anxiety medications and muscle relaxers can be a part of treatment for this disease, and a new drug has recentlybeen fast-trackedfor development by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Dion has been upbeat about her recovery, recently praising her doctor and saying that her fear of her conditionhas been replaced with hope.
Her performance of “L’Hymne à l’amour” closed the ceremony in stunning fashion. Clad in magnificent white, Dion’s performance drew goosebumps as she rolled back the years and her incredible voiced echoed along the Seine.
A massive roar greeted the end of her performance from the spectators who braved the rain throughout the night as the Eiffel Tower sparkled around her – truly a moment worthy of a singing icon.
A Paris party on a Friday night
A long dance break in the middle of the show encapsulated the vibe that much of the show took on: It was party time in the French capital.
Plenty of techno and Europop music accompanied by colorful dancers wearing all sorts of rave outfits – including one singer fully painted blue singing on a bed of flowers – turned heads around the world as the French displayed their party scene.
Earlier in the ceremony, the first moment that made people stop and stare was a performance by heavy metal band Gojira and their aforementioned headless Marie Antoinettes. In an opening ceremony full of classic rock anthems and dance tracks, the slamming drums and driving guitar was a surprising change of pace – indeed, it was the first time a metal band had played at the Opening Ceremony – but one that left a mark.
Musicians from Gojira, a heavy metal band, perform during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, on July 26.
There was also a stirring performance of the host nation’s national anthem “La Marseillaise” from the top of the Grand Palais that surely sent French spirits soaring.
The traditional singing of John Lennon’s “Imagine” was accompanied by a burning piano on a stage floating in the Seine, a truly incredible moment as the lights went out along the river.
And as volunteers carried nations’ flags into the Trocadero, a rider on a galloping steel horse glided down the Seine with the Olympic flag serving as a cape in a one-of-a-kind Olympic moment. The steel horse and rider gave way to the living versions of both, carrying the Olympic flag to be officially raised.
A most magnificent cauldron lighting
The torchbearers French former sprinter Marie-Jose Perec and French judoka Teddy Riner arrive to light the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024.
The 2024 Games promised an opening ceremony unlike any other and it delivered – including on the incredible cauldron lighting.
The torch was carried by scores of French athletes and other famous Olympians of now and yesteryear – including Zinedine Zidane, Rafael Nadal (who carried the torch on a boat down the Seine), Serena Williams (who rode next to Nadal), Carl Lewis and Tony Parker.
And when the final torchbearers judo star Teddy Riner and 400-meter sprinter Marie-José Pérec lit the Olympic cauldron, which was attached to a giant balloon, it began to float.
The Olympic flame ended the night hovering over the city of Paris – one last chance for the cameras to capture the incredible Parisian landscape.
CNN’s Sandee LaMotte contributed to this report.
