The opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics certainly contained a lot of water. In the middle of a rain storm, global athletes were welcomed to the city of love, croissants and chocolate while floating along the unmistakable River Seine in barges and boats. 

In order to capture the quintessential Parisian spirit, the Paris Olympics committee had athletes float along the 3.9 mile parade route, which passed by famous Parisian spots such as the Louvre museum and the Trocadero Palace. The tour route ended at the Eiffel Tour, where the lighting of the Olympic flame took place. 

To highlight the essence and artistic Parisian culture, acrobats took center stage while floating on sets along the River Seine. As the competing athletes passed by these performers, the dancers put on shows consisting of gymnastics, contortionists and skateboarding. 

Musicians such as Lady Gaga and Celiné Dion performed as well. Juliette Armanet performed John Legend and Yoko Ono’s “Imagine,” a staple song played at every Olympics. This year, it was especially memorable, as it called for peace in the Middle East and the Ukrainian war. Russia was noticeably missing from the 2024 Olympics, having been barred from being represented due to their war actions on Ukraine. 

Dancers performed numbers on top of the Louvre rooftop, specifically a dance including the Olympic torch. A fashion show also took place along a footbridge near the Eiffel Tower, with people from all different ethnicities and identities uniting on the Olympic red carpet to showcase some of French designers’ latest fashion. 

The ceremony ended with a masked torchbearer, who had been dancing and racing throughout the city for the duration of the ceremony, finally arriving at the base of the Eiffel Tower and lighting the cauldron-shaped torch in the basket of hot air. With the light of the Olympic Rings hung on the Eiffel Tower shining down on the crowd, the flame blazed ferociously in the night sky, despite the rain. 

_{Throughout the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, screens have been set up to display real-time coverage of the Olympic games. Ever since the opening ceremony began the games, athletes have been competing and displayed daily. (Photos/Emma Colarte Delgado)}