What time is the Paris Olympics opening ceremony and how to watch it in the UK

The 2024 Paris Olympics is almost here - and the opening ceremony is always one of the most talked about events of the Games.

Paris will break tradition and for the first time the ceremony will not be taking place in a stadium. Instead, it is happening on Paris' famous River Seine.

The 6km route will begin at Austerlitz bridge and end among the gardens, fountains and palaces in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower at Trocadero. There will be almost 100 boats carrying more than 10,000 athletes, plus a host of dignitaries, which sail past Paris' iconic landmarks, including Notre Dame cathedral and Pont Neuf.

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The athletes will be transported in boats in the parade. The boats will also be used artistically to showcase the history and culture of Paris and France.

Thomas Jolly is a French actor and theatre director and the as the ceremony's artistic director. This same role was performed by Danny Boyle at London 2012.

He said: "I’d like to show France in all its diversity," reports the BBC. He added: "Illustrate the richness and plurality shaped by its history, which has been influenced and inspired by the diverse cultures that have passed through it, while itself serving as a source of inspiration."

The ceremony will also include the official opening of the Games, carried out by France president Emmanuel Macron, and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.

Thousands of people are still expected to line the river and the streets with millions more watching on television around the world. Viewers can expect lots of surprises along the way, with the finer details of the ceremony remaining top secret.

The ceremony begins at 7.30pm