While the Opening Ceremony is an important tradition at every Olympics, the Opening Ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics will include many firsts.

For the first time in the history of a summer Olympics, the Opening Ceremony will not take place in a stadium. Instead, Paris is breaking new ground and bringing the international event into the heart of the city on the Seine.

This means that athletes from each delegation will be on boats that are equipped with cameras. In total, nearly 7,000 athletes will traverse through the center of Paris before ending in front of the Trocadero for the ceremony’s finale.

This Opening Ceremony will also be open to as many people as possible, making it the largest Opening Ceremony in Games history.

In honor of what is expected to be an unforgettable Opening Ceremony at the 2024 Paris Olympics, look back on the some of the other outstanding moments that have kickstarted the Games throughout history. 

Paralympian archer Antonio Rebollo cemented himself into Opening Ceremony lore when he shot a flaming arrow to light the Olympic cauldron.

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Flash back to a the 1992 Winter Olympics in France when the Opening Ceremony featured an air ballet sequence, as dancers strapped into ribbons floating around a giant arena in a stunning scene. 

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Muhammad Ali’s iconic torch-lighting took place 36 years after he earned his gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics and 12 years after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He almost didn't light the torch, as the tower leading up to it was too difficult for Ali to climb in his condition. Instead, Ali lit a fuse that led up to the cauldron.

Back in 1998, video-chatting across the world in real time was not a common occurrence. This is why the rendition of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” at the Opening Ceremony of the 1998 Winter Olympics was considered stuff of the future. As an orchestra performed live in Nagano, choruses in Berlin, Cape Town, Beijing, New York and Sydney joined via satellite feeds.

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To kick off the 2008 Beijing Olympics, a synchronized drum performance created an incredible spectacle. As a nod to the year, 2,008 musicians filled the stadium to play the fou, which is a 4000-year-old Chinese percussion instrument.

In a testament to a country known for its coral reef, the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney Olympics featured a massive aquarium with colorful jellyfish, fish and eels floating around a giant arena.

Mr. Bean, also known as actor Rowan Atkinson, made a surprise appearance at the 2012 Opening Ceremony as a member of the London Symphony Orchestra, where he captivated the world by playing ‘Chariots of Fire.’

Also at the 2012 Olympics, Queen Elizabeth II and Daniel Craig (who starred as James Bond) parachuted into the Olympic stadium in a three-minute film that was played before the broadcast. The actual jump was performed by stunt doubles but it was fun to see Queen Elizabeth in her secret-agent era.

Pita Taufatofua quickly became a global sensation as Tonga’s flag bearer during the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He gained international attention for his well-oiled, bare-chested appearance where he wore a traditional Tongan ta'ovala. To the delight of fans everywhere, Taufatofua also attended the Opening Ceremony of both the 2018 Winter Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Global artists brought all five continents together with an emotional performance of “Imagine,” written by John Legend and Yoko Ono.

For more information on how to watch the Opening Ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics, click here.