An ambitious Olympics opening ceremony showboats French culture on the Seine River

PARIS — An ambitious, amphibious opening ceremony threw a fête to French culture during the almost four-hour Olympics kick-off event.

A boat parade of national delegations floated down the River Seine, cruising into the history books as the first modern Olympics opening ceremony held outside a stadium. The bash culminated on land with a finale light show beaming from the Eiffel Tower above the Trocadéro, the lighting of a giant hot-air balloon cauldron and a surprise Olympics comeback for Celine Dion.

The parade was rained on, but the energy — smiles, waves, and flag-waving from athletes and spectators alike — remained high for the first post-pandemic Olympic Games.

Some 6,800 athletes from 205 delegations floated down a 3.7-mile stretch of the Seine, flanked by more than 300,000 ticketholders and the general public who watched from the river’s banks and bridges. They caught glimpses of iconic landmarks, including the Grand Palais and other temporary sport venues, on their trip down the river.

Performances showcase French culture

The lineup of acts was a celebration of French history and culture, honoring iconic art and architecture. There were tributes to Notre Dame’s restoration team, the craftsmanship of fashion design house Louis Vuitton and the Victor Hugo novel-turned-musical Les Misérables.

Lady Gaga (whose mother is half-French) delivered a celebration of French cabaret, appearing from behind quivering pink-feathered plumage as she performed Zizi Jeanmaire’s "Mon truc en plumes.”

In another choreographed sequence, interpretive dancers honored athletes in their movements as they splashed through water on tiered risers that blended into gilded architecture.

Elsewhere, performers evoked France’s bloody and revolutionary history, mixing themes from Les Misérables and heavy metal performed by the band Gojira.

Dancers played out themes from Hugo's historical epic, appearing to move through the Parisian sewers — where story protagonist Jean Valjean evaded police on the crime of theft.

Headless performers dressed in red representing the beheaded Marie Antoinette stood in many window sills of the Conciergerie building where the queen herself was once imprisoned before she was sent to the guillotine. Spectators oohed and aahed at the scene's pyrotechnic show and blood-red streamers.

Statues rose from pillars lining the water of female politicians, writers, explorers, all pioneers in French history. The moment reflected the historic gender parity achieved at this year’s Games.

Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), celebrated that fact in a speech delivered during the ceremony.

"All of us will experience Olympic Games that are more inclusive, more urban, younger and more sustainable," he said.

The downpour was in full swing by the time a group of French celebrities, including drag queen Nicky Doll, were strutting down a banquet table-catwalk atop a bridge — originally built for the 1900 World Fair. The runway later evolved into a late 20th century discothèque, with an ensemble dancing in a tribute to the French rave scene.

As the party scene went dark, all eyes went to two performers on a floating raft. Then, as one of them played the opening notes of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's "Imagine," the piano went up in flames.

The performance by pianist Sofiane Pamart and singer Juliette Armanet is meant to celebrate a world reconciled and without borders.

"Imagine" is a permanent element of Olympic protocol, per organizers, having been a highlight of many recent opening ceremonies.

Artists from around the world convened to perform "Imagine" at the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

A starry American lineup

As the two flagbearers for the United States—the largest delegation—tennis star Coco Gauff and NBA’s top scorer LeBron James waved the red, white and blue during the procession.

Leading up to and during the event, there was plenty of stateside star power in the torch relay, too. Snoop Dogg, Pharrell, Selma Hayek contributed to the running of the torch. Tennis great Serena Williams joined other athletes on a motorboat in carrying the flame to its final stages after its long journey.

In its final climb, the torch lit the cauldron, which was revealed to be a massive hot-air balloon that lifted into the night sky.

Et voilà, the rumors were true: Capping the ceremony, an emotional Celine Dion made a remarkable Olympics return to perform Edith Piaf's Hymne à l'amour at the base of the Eiffel Tower.

Dion performed at the opening ceremony at the Atlanta Games in 1996. In recent years, the French-Canadian has had to step away from performing due to a rare and chronic neurological disorder known as stiff-person syndrome that causes severe muscle spasms. Before Friday night, her last live performance was in New York in 2020.

An intense security presence

The open-air venue had invited serious security concerns, and officials locked down the city in anticipation. Closed roads and bridges at and around the Seine choked foot traffic and transportation. Tens of thousands of police and military personnel descended upon the city.

At least one incident rattled security posture hours ahead of the ceremony. Friday morning, authorities said a “coordinated” arson attack on the French rail network brought the system to a standstill, halting about a quarter of train traffic ahead of the ceremony.

France has already secured its next Olympic Games, which will be held in the French Alps in the winter of 2030.

NPR's Rachel Treisman and Alana Wise contributed to this story.