As the Olympics come to a close, we at Special Events are reflecting on the very memorable Opening Ceremony that launched the excitement of this year’s games and the Closing Ceremony that hyped up the return of the Summer Games in 2028.
We know that every event pro was watching with different eyes than the rest of the world. It’s interesting to note that a stage director led this year’s ceremonies in lieu of an event production company. Let’s take a look at the highlights from this massive global event.
The Opening Ceremony took place along the Seine River. Shown here: smoke clouds in the tricolours of the France flag are seen at Pont d'Austerlitz. Photo courtesy Ann Wang - Pool/Getty Images
1. The Risk of the Great Outdoors
Instead of hosting performances in a contained space, artistic director Thomas Jolly and executive director Thierry Reboul turned several blocks of Paris surrounding the Seine river into a stage for the Opening Ceremony. Weather concerns—like rain before the dances—complicated things. There were also safety concerns, having so many people gathered together and exposed in the open air.
“All airports and airspace within a 90-mile radius around Paris will be closed around the time of the ceremony, amid authorities’ fears that the open setting could expose participants and attendees—among them an expected 120 heads of state, sovereigns, and heads of government—to drone attacks and snipers,” said Time. “In addition to scaling back the total crowd size and adjusting the free-ticket policy to be by invite-only instead of open registration, there will also be a 45,000-member security force—including over 2,000 foreign police—deployed around the French capital.”
Nevertheless, nearly 100 boats paraded down a stretch of the Seine, meandering through Paris and past some of the city’s iconic landmarks (like the Notre-Dame and the Louvre) and Olympic venues (including the Grand Palais).
Lady Gaga performing on the Seine River at the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony. Photo courtesy Lars Baron/Getty Images
2. Next-level artistic performances
For the Opening Ceremony, there were some star-studded musical numbers sprinkled that punctuated the entrance of athletes on boats down the Seine. Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, French heavy metal band Gojira, opera singers Marina Viotti and Axelle Saint-Cirel, French artist Aya Nakamura with the orchestra of the French Republican Guard, a sign language performance, singer Juliette Armanet with pianist Sofiane Pamart, Parisian rapper Rim'K, a kick line by Moulin Rouge, a massive interpretive dance, and a colorful drag performance—even with a variety of musical and dance types, there was a clear French artistic expression in it all.
At the Closing Ceremony, French singer Yseult and French indie rock band Phoenix brought national pride, while American singer H.E.R. sang the national anthem to help usher the Games to their next location in Los Angeles in 2028. Other Los Angeles artists to perform included the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre.
A memorable performance was that of the Golden Voyager, which illustrated the ending of the 2024 Games. “Thomas designed the artistic character to represent the Voyager Golden Record, or the record of humanity sent to space by France in 1977, per the Associated Press, and it kept audiences very entertained during a section of the ceremony that paid homage to the history of France and the Olympics itself,” noted NBC San Diego.
3. Technology
These year's ceremonies made good use of pyrotechnics, laser shows, and water-based effects. There were also video portions dedicated to uplifting women in French history, as well as a cinematographic filmed story of a mysterious figure carrying the Olympic torch through iconic parts of the city.
The real show-off moments for the Olympics’ were the lighting: during the Opening Ceremony, the Eiffel Tower dazzled as the backdrop of a light show at the Opening Ceremony. Then, during the Closing Ceremony, besides multiple rounds of pyrotechnics and fireworks around and above the stadium, there were lighting effects that punctuated the Golden Voyager performance by lighting up and dimming Bluetooth-synced wristbands of all the spectators in the stadium’s seating. The stage itself was lit up with jagged sketches of the globe’s continents.
Stade de France was lit up with fireworks and Bluetooth-synced wristbands on those in the arena's seating during the Closing Ceremony. Photo courtesy Rene Nijhuis/BSR Agency/Getty Images
4. Storytime
The Opening Ceremony was broken into 12 parts, each themed with different aspects of the performance. The torchbearer threaded the way throughout the story. It was an ode to all things French, with history, architecture, literature, music, film, fashion, and theater.
We saw the return of the mystery torch bearer return in the Closing Ceremony, as well as a statue representing Liberty which is currently housed in Place de la Bastille in Paris. These figures helped to tell the story both France as a country as well as the history of the Olympics, including a moment where the Golden Voyager plants the Greek flag in honor of the Games’ origin.
A mysterious torchbearer runs atop the Musee d'Orsay during the Opening Ceremony. Photo courtesy Peter Cziborra - Pool/Getty Images
Lastly, the Closing Ceremony looked forward to the 2028 Olympics that will be held in Los Angeles by having Tom Cruise rappel down from the stadium’s top Mission Impossible style, where he met Simone Biles and LA mayor Karen Bass. This nod to the next Games reinforced the story of the Olympics as a rich history that ties the world together.
Actor Tom Cruise jumps from the roof of the Stade de France during the Closing Ceremony. Photo courtesy Fabrizio Bensch- Pool/Getty Images
Lessons from the Ceremonies
There were incredibly mixed reviews of the Ceremonies’ productions, and while there may have been misinterpretations of certain elements, the ceremonies succeeded in creating conversation. Regardless of what praises and critiques you may have, we can agree that this year’s Opening and Closing Ceremonies stirred discussion and left a memorable impression—as good art does.
An article from AdAge concluded that creative and production teams can learn four lessons from this year’s ceremonies:
- Emphasize environment and cultural context
- Adaptability and balance in real-time challenges
- Inclusivity and representation
- Innovative use of mixed media and technology
Expo Pass also gave a nod to the successful sustainability, use of existing infrastructure, partnership with local businesses, and navigation of weather challenges.
A massive global event like the Olympics is always a great thing to learn from. We’ll be looking forward to those 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, as well as the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
