The Paris 2024 Paralympic opening ceremony is now a matter of hours away, and what a relief – without the constant stream of swimming, athletics, cycling and meme-worthy moments, we haven’t known what to do with ourselves.
The Olympics opening ceremony has set expectations pretty high – we had performances from Lady Gaga and Celine Dion, as well as those guillotined heads, a gaudy fashion show, and, of course, the minions fighting over the Mona Lisa – so, fingers crossed we’ll be treated to another show-stopping, meme-able event. Here is everything you need to know about the timing and schedule of the Paris 2023 Paralympic opening ceremony.
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What time does the 2024 Paralympics opening ceremony start?
The opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Paralympics will begin at 8pm CEST on Wednesday August 28 (that’s 7pm BST and 2pm EST).
Where’s the ceremony being held?
It’s not only the Olympic opening ceremony that is breaking convention this summer – the Paralympic opening ceremony is also ignoring traditions and will take place along the Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Elysées (which hosted BMX freestyle, breaking and skateboarding events during the Olympics). You can read more about that in our guide to the performers here.
Performers and line-up
Paris has enjoyed keeping big names on the schedule to perform under wraps until the last minute, but as the Olympics proved with Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Celine Dion and Tom Cruise, it was worth the wait. Keep an eye on our guide to the line-up for all the latest info.
How long will the ceremony last?
Much like the Olympics opening ceremony, the Paris 2024 Paralympics opening ceremony will last for three hours, until 11pm CEST (10pm BST and 5pm EST).
Schedule
We’ll bring you as much info as possible about the schedule, but right now all we know about it is the start and run time. Oh, and the fact that we’ll be treated to a ‘spectacle that will transform the heart of Paris, with performances that have never been seen before’, according to artistic director, Thomas Jolly.
How to watch
If you’re lucky enough to be in Paris for the Paralympics, check out our guide to all the Fan Zones set up by the city’s authorities where you can watch events on big screens for free. However, if you’ll be tuning in on TV, listen up.
For those of us watching in France, the opening ceremony will be screened on free-to-air channel France 2. In the UK, it’s Channel 4 who will be covering the games, and you can read our guide to how to watch right here. In the US, viewers will be able to stream the opening ceremony on Peacock (as well as all other events) and view it live on USA Network. You can also stream events either via the Paralympic YouTube Channel or the International Paralympic Committee website.
Tickets and pricing
Ticket sales for the Paralympic opening ceremony have now closed, with prices ranging from €150 to €700. You can view all the events that still have tickets available on the official website right here.
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