WASHINGTON — The Opening Ceremony for the Paris Olympics kicked off Friday with the Parade of Nations along the Seine River.
Thousands of athletes are sailing along the River Seine toward the Eiffel Tower on dozens of boats. It is the first time in the Games' modern history that the Opening Ceremony is outside a stadium setting. Roughly 94 boats, one for each national delegation, will parade along the river.
For an Opening Ceremony dubbing itself as "the largest in Games history," expect the some big surprises.
Who is performing at the Olympics Opening Ceremony?
Most entertainment acts were kept under wraps ahead of the ceremony.
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga kicked off the lineup of surprises at the Opening Ceremony with a feathery cabaret performance.
The singer and actress performed a cabaret number on a golden staircase beside the Seine, emerging from behind pink feathers — an act pre-recorded and then shown on the television broadcasts.
Lady Gaga sang the French song “Mon truc en plumes” (“My thing in feathers”) by Zizi Jeanmaire. She was accompanied by 10 dancers and 17 musicians — all wearing costumes from House of Dior, which is owned by a major Olympic sponsor.
She wasn’t on the official guide distributed to media beforehand, but her participation was heavily rumored after she was spotted in Paris in the run-up to the ceremony.
The singer-actor will likely be spending a lot of time in Europe this summer. Venice Film Festival organizers announced this week that “Joker: Folie à Deux” would play in competition at the festival kicking of Aug. 28.
Is Celine Dion performing at the Olympics Opening Ceremony?
Celine Dion serenaded Paris atop a sparkling Eiffel Tower during the Opening Ceremony.
It was the singer's first performance in years. She was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome in late 2022, causing her to postpone a tour.
Aya Nakamura
French-Malian pop star Aya Nakamura, the most listened-to French-speaking artist in the world, sang her hit “Djadja” accompanied by the orchestra of the French Republican Guard.
Nakamura likes to play with the French language and combine it with argot and expressions in English. She has been the target of a flurry of racist comments from the far right earlier this year when her name emerged as possibly participating in the opening ceremony. She received support from the Paris Olympics organizers and the French government.
