Lady Gaga dazzles amidst pink poms and welcomes us to Paris, while Celine Dion stuns us all with a majestic performance under the Eiffel tower and teams from countries across the world make their entrance sailing down the River Seine. The 2024 Paris Olympics are officially underway and kicked off the global event with an epic opening ceremony. This is the first time the Olympics opening ceremony was not held inside a stadium but rather outside in front of iconic Parisian landmarks.
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00:00Gaga dazzles amidst pink palms and welcomes us to Paris.
00:04Bonsoir! Bienvenue à Paris!
00:07Celine stuns us all with a majestic performance under the Eiffel Tower
00:11and teams from countries across the world make their entrance riding on the sun.
00:15The 2024 Paris Olympics are officially underway
00:18and kicked off the global event with an epic opening ceremony.
00:22This is the first time the Olympic opening ceremony was not held inside a stadium
00:26but rather outside in front of iconic Parisian landmarks.
00:29Team USA was led by flag-bearers LeBron James and Coco Gauff
00:33who floated on boats carrying 594 U.S. athletes
00:37along the other competing nations sailing across the River Seine
00:41and they didn't let a little rain stop the celebrations.
00:43Lady Gaga kicked off the big event as the first performer of the evening
00:47and dazzled the crowd in front of a grand golden staircase overlooking the river
00:51singing in French alongside a saxophone band and a group of pink-feathered performers.
00:56Other standout performances included French pop superstar Aya Nakamura
01:00appearing on a bridge overlooking the Seine and playing an incredible rendition of her hit song.
01:05Meanwhile, French opera singer Axel Saint-Saërl
01:08sang a rendition of the French national anthem from the roof of the Grand Palais.
01:12Throughout the ceremony, the Olympic torch was carried across the city
01:15by a flame-bearer running atop buildings and at one point ziplining across the river.
01:20Peyton Manning, Mike Tirico and Kelly Clarkson served as NBC's official opening ceremony hosts
01:25walking us through the epic celebrations which also featured a makeshift runway
01:29showcasing Paris as one of the fashion capitals of the world
01:33the ringing of the Notre Dame for the first time since the cathedral was destroyed by a fire in 2019
01:39a glowing metallic horse soaring across the river to deliver the Olympic flag
01:43with many on social media joking about the resemblance to Beyonce's Renaissance horse
01:47and a spectacular light show of the Eiffel Tower to close out the ceremony.
01:52Celebs such as Serena Williams, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo and Snoop Dogg
01:56were also on deck during the big event.
01:58In a surprising move, the Olympic torch, which symbolizes the beginning of the Games
02:02was carried back up the Seine by goats such as Raphael Nadal
02:05bringing the torch back to the Louvre before being passed to athletes around the world
02:10with the final flame being lit in a giant hot air balloon
02:13which then lifted into the air overlooking Paris.
02:16And finally, the icon, the queen, that is Celine Dion
02:19appeared under the Eiffel Tower with a powerful rendition of an Edith Piaf classic
02:24to close out the epic ceremony.
02:26For more updates on the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, head to THR.com
02:31and for the latest entertainment news and updates, keep watching The Hollywood Reporter News.