With umbrellas deployed, thousands of athletes and spectators who lined the streets of Paris officially kicked off the 2024 Olympics on Friday.
The ambitious ceremony kicked off with a giant plume of blue, white and red smoke in the colors of the French national flag with the Parade of Nations from the Austerlitz Bridge beside the Jardin des Plantes.
Pyrotechnics in the colors of the French national flag are set off over a bridge during the Paris Olympics opening ceremonies on July 26, 2024.
Sina Schuldt/picture alliance via Getty Images
Athletes aboard boats traveled the course of the Seine River from east to west, getting a glimpse of several Olympic venues including the La Concorde Urban Park, Invalides and the Grand Palais.
Giant jets of water spurted up from the river as the Greek delegation — as always — was the first boat under the bridge and along the 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) route.
American singer Lady Gaga graced the crowds with a performance at a makeshift yellow staircase in the traditional style of the old French subways.
About 220,000 invited and security-screened spectators filled the upper tiers of the Seine’s banks, and an additional 104,000 paying spectators watched from the lower riverside and around the Trocadéro plaza.
The parade ended at the Iena Bridge, which links the Eiffel Tower on the left bank of the Seine to the Trocadéro district on the right bank.
Here are more photos from the event:
Spectators wait on a balcony ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024.
MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP via Getty Images
Spectators wait for the start of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024.
Thibault Camus / AP
Athletes from Brazil’s delegation wave Brazilian flags as they sail in a boat along the river Seine at the start of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024.
CARL DE SOUZA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Flagbearers of Canada Maude Charron (L) and Andre de Grasse are seen ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, July 26, 2024.
CAO CAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Lebron James looks on before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
QUINN ROONEY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
A performer sits on a bridge in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024.
Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP
Lady Gaga performs in Paris, France during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics on Friday, July 26, 2024.
Luca Bruno / AP
Athletes of Greece wave handheld national flags on a boat as it makes its way along the Seine in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Michael Reaves / AP
Ukraine’s athletes stand on a boat ahead of the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics on the Seine River in Paris, France.
Clodagh Kilcoyne / AP
Team Bhutan during the athletes’ parade on the Seine in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024.
Michael Reaves / AP
Reflections of Team Great Britain athletes are seen on the team boat as they pass under a bridge on the River Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Naomi Baker/Getty Images
Team Saudi Arabia waves flags on a boat in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024.
Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP
South Korean athletes Kim Seo-yeong (L) and Woo Sang-hyeok (R) carry their country’s flag in a boat sailing along the river Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
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The French Air Force elite acrobatic flying team “Patrouille de France” (PAF) performs during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024.
DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images
Athletes from the Refugee Olympic Team delegation sail in a boat along the Seine River during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images
A torchbearer carries the Olympic flame over a building along the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024.
Bernat Armangue / AP
The Dominican Republic Olympic Team during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in France.
John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images
Athletes of Israel including flagbearers Andrea Murez and Peter Paltchik are seen aboard a boat in the floating parade on the river Seine during the opening ceremony.
NIR ELIAS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
A photograph taken from a helicopter shows an aerial view of the Centre Pompidou Museum during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
LIONEL BONAVENTURE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Members of Team Zimbabwe pose for a photo on a boat on the Seine during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Quinn Rooney / AP
Athletes of Team Australia wave flags on the team boat on the River Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
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Smoke billows near windows as performers participate in the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024.
BERNAT ARMANGUE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
A delegation of athletes from China waves from a boat as they sail along the river Seine.
LUIS TATO/AFP via Getty Images
Team Kenya seen on a boat on the River Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France.
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Actors perform during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics on Friday, July 26, 2024 in Paris, France.
Wang Dongzhen / AP
Team Bolivia during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France.
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Stephen Curry of the United States takes a photo prior to the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
Quinn Rooney / AP
The delegations from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cook Islands, South Korea, Costa Rica and Ivory Coast during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024, as the Eiffel Tower is seen in the background.
PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images
Jo Aleh, and Aaron Murray Gate, Flagbearers of Team New Zealand, during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France.
/ Getty Images
Emiliano Hernandez and Alejandra Orozco Loza, Flagbearers of Team Mexico, during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France.
Lars Baron / Getty Images
The torch with the Olympic flame is carried on a boat along the river Seine at the start of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024.
EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images
Athletes in the delegation of Uruguay pose for a photo aboard a boat in the floating parade on the river Seine during the opening ceremony.
CLODAGH KILCOYNE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
French pianist Alexandre Kantorow performs on the Passerelle Leopold-Sedar-Senghor during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images
Bahrain’s delegation sails on a boat during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024.
DAMIEN MEYER/AFP via Getty Images
Members of the Team Ivory Coast wave their national flag on a boat on the River Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Lee Jin-man / Getty Images
Athletes of Team Spain wave Spanish flags during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France.
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Athletes of Team Dominican Republic wave handheld flags on a boat on the River Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France.
Lars Baron / Getty Images
Acrobats perform along the Pont Neuf bridge during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024 with the Eiffel Tower pictured in the background.
NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images
Jessica Fox and Eddie Ockenden, of Team Australia, pose while cruising on the Seine during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024.
Quinn Rooney / AP
Performers hold up hoops in the shape of the Olympic rings on a floating platform on the river Seine during the opening ceremony.
STEFAN WERMUTH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Dancers perform on a rooftop during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
DAN MULLAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Athletes of Mali, Malta and Morocco aboard a boat in the floating parade on the river Seine during the opening ceremony.
PETER CZIBORRA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Palestinian flag bearers Wasim Abusal and Valerie Rose Tarazi travel with teammates along the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024.
Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP
France’s delegation sail in a boat along the river Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024.
FRANCK FIFE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Athletes of Team Fiji are seen waving their handheld flags on a boat along the River Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France.
STEPH CHAMBERS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Team USA during the Paris 2024 Olympic opening ceremony.
Sina Schuldt/picture alliance via Getty Images
A bridge over the Seine River is illuminated, in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024.
Alessandra Tarantino / AP
United States team parades along the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024.
Luca Bruno / AP
Misaki Emura and Shigekix, Flagbearers of Team Japan, wave a Japan flag in front of the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France.
Lucia Suarez Sang is an associate managing editor at CBSNews.com. Previously, Lucia was the director of digital content at FOX61 News in Connecticut and has previously written for outlets including FoxNews.com, Fox News Latino and the Rutland Herald.
