An unprecedented Paralympic Ceremony
A magnificent groundbreaking ceremony at the heart of the city
In 2024, Paris and France will host their first-ever Paralympic Summer Games. Paris 2024 is thinking big and reinventing the Opening Ceremony by taking it outside the confines of a traditional stadium. On 28 August 2024 at 20:00 local, Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Elysées will be the stage for this groundbreaking celebration in the heart of Paris.
This innovative project will be led by Thomas Jolly, Artistic Director for the Ceremonies:
“While the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony will be the first of its kind, its monumental and popular concept is, for me, first and foremost a magnificent source of inspiration. From the Champs-Elysées to Place de la Concorde, I look forward to creating this spectacle that will transform the heart of Paris, with performances that have never been seen before. A spectacle that will showcase the Paralympic athletes and the values that they embody. A spectacle that will unite spectators and television audiences worldwide around the unique spirit of the Paralympic Games.”
Watch the presentation video
A UNIQUE MOMENT FOR ATHLETES AND SPECTATORS
The ceremony will open with a popular parade on the iconic Champs-Elysées, involving up to 184 delegations from around the world. Spectators will be able to enjoy this unforgettable and celebratory moment, which will be open to everyone, alongside 6,000 athletes and officials. For ticket holders, the official parade will then take place on Place de la Concorde, in addition to the protocol and artistic sequences. The celebration of the opening of the Paralympic Games promises to be an exceptional event that will live long in the memories of all the spectators!
Working closely with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the French Paralympic and Sports Committee (CPSF), and the relevant authorities, Paris 2024 will ensure that universal accessibility is incorporated into all aspects of the ceremony so that athletes, participants and spectators can enjoy an experience that is free from any barriers.
Place de la Concorde is an iconic Parisian square situated between the Champs-Elysées and the Tuileries Gardens—just a short distance from the Assemblée Nationale and the Grand Palais. The largest square in Paris, it links several iconic buildings and monuments that illustrate the history of France. Created in the Enlightenment period, Place de la Concorde represents the philosophical, literary and cultural legacy that we have inherited from this philosophical movement which resonates with the Paralympic values. Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Elysées, the world’s most beautiful avenue, will be transformed into an outstanding stage to showcase the Paralympic movement in a breathtaking setting.
To ensure that the spotlight is firmly on the achievements of the Paralympic athletes, the values that they embody and the emotions that they inspire in us, Paris 2024 wanted to offer them a groundbreaking showcase by organising the first Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony outside the confines of a stadium. Looking beyond this exceptional setting offered for the leading athletes and spectators from around the world, this ceremony at the heart of the city is a strong symbol illustrating our ambition to capitalise on our country hosting its first-ever Paralympic Games to position the issue of inclusion for people with disabilities at the heart of our society.
The Games have an unrivalled transformational power. By choosing, for the first time, to organise the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games at the heart of the city, on Place de la Concorde, this square which symbolises more than any other the unity of our nation, we are offering opportunities for everyone to see these athletes whose performances both command admiration and are truly inspirational. Enabling us, all together, to capitalise on this unique opportunity to change the way disabilities are viewed.
The city of love will get each Paralympian’s heart beating. What an incredible moment for our athletes, who will be part of a historic Opening Ceremony, on the world’s most famous avenue, surrounded by all the charm of Paris. The Paris 2024 Games will be an exceptional showcase to celebrate Paralympic sport in the eyes of the whole world.
KICKING OFF AN UNFORGETTABLE EVENT
The Opening Ceremony will mark the start of innovative Games that will leave lasting memories thanks to the achievements of exceptional athletes. Each Paralympic sport will have a prestigious space for expression, with events held at iconic sites that are representative of France’s heritage.
INCLUSION AT THE HEART OF THE GAMES AND THEIR OPENING CEREMONY
Through these Games and their ambitious Opening Ceremony at the heart of the city, Paris 2024 wants to leave a lasting and necessary legacy by changing the way disabilities are viewed and, looking beyond the Games, helping to build a more inclusive society and public space:
Pride, impatience, determination: these are the feelings inspired in us when we discovered the concept for this Opening Ceremony. I am really looking forward to being there and sharing these intense emotions with thousands of spectators.
Installation and dismantling schedule
Calendar
March: Installation begins on the east side of the square (already occupied by the Rugby Village and not reopened to traffic since).
March - 1 June: Progressive extension of the site to the whole of Place de la Concorde
- 17 May: Closure of the east-west axis
- 1 June: Complete closure
- In the north-south direction, rue Royale is closed to general traffic, except for local services, from place de la Madeleine and from rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré to place de la Concorde.
- In the south-north direction, from the rue de Rivoli already restricted to general traffic, traffic will remain open on the rue Royale towards Madeleine. Local services will continue to be authorised in an east-west direction towards avenue Gabriel.
- In the west-east direction, on avenue des Champs-Elysées, traffic between avenue Winston Churchill and place de la Concorde is closed.
- The Concorde bridge is accessible from the Cours la Reine in a north-south direction and remains accessible for local traffic in a south-north direction.
- Diversions for bicycle traffic will be put in place (consultable on the paris.fr city venue).
- 1 June - 25 September: Closure of the La Concorde underground public car park
From 29 August-October: Gradual release of the right-of-way on Place de la Concorde
- 29 August: Dismantling begins the day after the Ceremony
- 1 September: Liberation of metro exits 1 and 8 and the Pont de la Concorde
- 9 September: Traffic reopens to allow North-South crossing
- 30 September: Liberation of the west of the square
- 30 October: Complete liberation of the Place
Transports
Île-de-France Mobilités and RATP will be gradually modifying bus services in the vicinity of the venues as soon as they are installed, in order to guarantee continuity of the public transport service as far as possible and maintain services throughout Paris. The lines concerned will be diverted, operated in two sections or limited depending on the events planned in the public space (opening ceremony, road races).
Metro services will operate normally throughout the Games. Only the Tuileries, Concorde and Champs-Elysées Clémenceau stations will be closed due to their location at or near a competition venue.
All this information is available to passengers on the Île-de-France Mobilités and RATP venues and applications.
Anticipating the Games
Discover the Ministry of Transport's interactive map to help you plan your journeys on the road and on public transport.
Find out more about the different security perimeters and special situations on the City of Paris venue.
Find all the maps and information on the different security perimeters during the Games on the Préfecture de police venue.
