Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony: All the Biggest Moments From the Games’ Kickoff (Updating Live)
variety.commajor train disruptions and threats of defecating in the Seine, the Paris Olympics are finally about to kick off under cloudy skies.
Years in the making, this opening ceremony has been envisioned as the French answer to the Super Bowl, boasting pop legends such as Lady Gaga, who has been spotted rehearsing with a grand piano floating down the Seine, as well as Celine Dion, who is expected to make her big comeback this evening with an Edith Piaf song.
Other artists, like R&B star Aya Nakamura, will sing songs by late French-Armenian crooner Charles Aznavour. The show, which is orchestrated by artistic director Thomas Jolly, will also pay tribute to French cinema classics with references to films like Leos Carax’s “The Lovers on the Bridge.” With estimated costs nearing $10 billion, these Olympic Games will be the least expensive in recent history but likely the flashiest, thanks to Paris’ iconic landmarks serving as backdrop.
For the first time, the opening ceremony is unfolding outdoors and outside of a stadium. A nautical parade of 85 boats carrying some 10,500 athletes from each Olympic delegation will unfold along the Seine running through the city, starting from the Pont d’Austerlitz and culminating at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
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