Here is all you need to know about today's Olympics opening ceremony
A full moon rises behind the Olympic rings hanging from the Eiffel Tower Monday, July 22, 2024. Picture: AP
The Greatest Show On Earth will officially begin on Friday night.
While some events have already started - including the rugby sevens, which saw Ireland crash out in the quarter final on Thursday - the 33rd Summer Olympics has its opening ceremony this evening.
The curtain-raiser is marked by fans across the globe and is known for it's colour, artistic performances and parade of athletes.
Tonight will mark the first time since Rio 2016 where a large audience will be in attendance, with the Tokyo Games in 2021 taking place during covid-19 restrictions.
Here, we answer all of your questions.
6pm - and it will last for four hours
For Irish viewers, RTÉ will carry live coverage throughout the ceremony, with veteran broadcaster Peter Collins presenting.
The BBC will also be broadcasting the ceremony.
A little bit of history, as for the first time, the official parade of athletes will not take place in a stadium.
Instead, the 10,500 athletes who are competing will parade along the River Seine in boats.
Officials are estimating that 300,000 people will queue along the banks of the river to see the teams float their way along.
Naturally, we will get to see some of Paris's iconic sites along the way - including Notre-Dame cathedral and the Eiffel Tower.
It was confirmed in Paris on Friday morning that golfer Shane Lowy and track star Sarah Lavin will lead the Irish contingent while holding the tricolour.
Other athletes who will be bearing their country's flags include basketballer Lebron James and tennis player Coco Gauff for the USA, diver Tom Daley and rower Helen Glover for Britain, and discus thrower Mélina Robert-Michon and swimmer Florent Manaudou for the host nation.
Tradition dictates that Greece will lead the parade as the birthplace of the Olympics, meaning basketball superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will be one of the first athletes to be seen, alongside Greek race walker Antigoni Drisbioti.
Another famous aspect of any opening ceremony, the final carrier of the Olympic torch will light the cauldron - symbolically signalling the start of the games.
That won't be revealed until moments before it happens, but we do know that rapper Snoop Dogg will have a role in carrying the torch in the final stages of the relay, which began more than three months ago in Athens.
In that past, we've seen the Spice Girls, Snow Patrol, Olivia Newton-John among the stars who have performed at Olympic opening or closing ceremonies.
Earlier this week, there were heavy rumours of an icon returning to the stage after she was spotted in Paris.
Céline Dion, who performs in both French and English, hasn't performed since revealing two years ago that she suffered from Stiff Person Syndrome.
Ms Dion wasn't the only major name spied in the French capital this week though, as Lady Gaga was also seen.
To read all of our Olympics coverage, you can click here.
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