Paris Olympics: Everything we know about the opening ceremony

Paris will launch its Summer Games opening ceremony on Friday night along the Seine, marking the first time the event is held outside a stadium.

Transcript

00:00Three years after the official announcement, the big day is finally approaching.

00:06The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics will be held on Friday, starting at 7.30pm.

00:12For the first time in history, the ceremony will not take place in a stadium, but instead

00:17along the Seine River, in front of more than 300,000 spectators.

00:23More than 10,000 athletes from 206 delegations will parade aboard nearly 100 boats for a

00:30spectacle lasting almost four hours.

00:34A meticulous organization that required more than three years of preparation.

00:39Whatever the weather or the flow of the river might be on Friday night, organizers insist

00:44that they are ready for any kind of scenario.

00:48The parade and the ceremony will go very, very well, there is no subject on it.

00:52If the flow rose a little bit, no problem there either, we will just adapt the speed.

00:57For example, we would go from 9 km per hour to 10 km per hour, but no problem on that.

01:01An impressive feat led by the actor and director Thomas Joly.

01:05He worked hand in hand with multiple playwrights, choreographers and historians to imagine an

01:11extravagant performance showcasing France's history, art and culture, with 12 massive

01:17paintings that will be displayed.

01:41As per tradition, Greece will lead the way and France's delegation will be the last boat.

01:56The contents of the show has been kept tightly under wraps, but a few big names have been

02:01mentioned, such as possible performances from singers like Céline Dion, Lady Gaga and French

02:08Malian sensation Ayana Kamara.

02:10Sofia Katzenkova reporting from Paris for Euronews.