Science & Environment
Olympic closing ceremony 2024: Everything you need to know
After weeks of intense and exciting competition, international athletes are about to say “au revoir” to the 2024 Paris Games.
Unlike the ambitious opening ceremony, the closing ceremony will take a more traditional route. Rather than the open-air venue of the Seine River, the closing ceremony will be held in the 80,000-seat Stade de France.
The stadium has hosted a number of events over the course of the Games, including world-record-breaking track races and a historic first for the American women’s rugby team. Now, the venue will be filled with artists, dancers, acrobats and surprise performers to celebrate the end of this year’s Olympics and look ahead to the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
Here’s what you need to know about the ceremony.
What time does the Olympic closing ceremony start?
The closing ceremony will be held on Sunday. NBC will air a live preshow at 2 p.m. ET, which will include a recap of some of the most unforgettable moments from this year’s Olympics.
The actual ceremony will start at 3 p.m. ET, and an encore telecast will play for U.S. viewers during prime time. The ceremony is expected to last a little over two hours.
A broadcast about the 2028 Games will air at 10 p.m. ET.
How can you watch?
The ceremony will be available to stream on NBC, Peacock and NBC Olympics. (NBC News shares a parent company with those entities, NBCUniversal.)
Viewers can also watch on their local NBC channel. Full TV listings for the ceremony can be found on the NBC Olympics schedule page.
What happens during the closing ceremony?
Similar to the opening ceremony, many details about the closing ceremony have been kept under wraps.
The Paris 2024 Olympic committee said the closing ceremony will feature “over a hundred performers, acrobats, dancers and circus artists.” Artistic director Thomas Jolly, who also planned the opening ceremony, said the theme is “Records.”
Viewers can expect the usual parade of athletes, a display of the participating nations’ flags and the lowering of the Olympic flag. A portion of the closing ceremony is dedicated to the host city handover from Paris to Los Angeles, in which Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo will give the Olympic flag to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
Some final medals are often handed out during the closing ceremony. The Olympic flame is extinguished.
The flame for the Paralympic Games, which take place Aug. 28-Sept. 8, “will be lit shortly after the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games in Stoke Mandeville, the historic birthplace of Paralympic sport,” according to the Olympics website. From Aug. 25 to Aug. 28, about 1,000 forerunners will carry the Paralympic flame to 50 cities throughout France as part of the the Paris 2024 Paralympic torch relay, the website states.
Who are the ceremony hosts? Who is performing?
NBC’s Mike Tirico will return as a host alongside late night host Jimmy Fallon. They will be joined by sports commentator Terry Gannon and former Olympic figure skaters Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, all of whom previously served as hosts during the PyeongChang, Tokyo and Beijing Games.
The ceremony will feature prominent performers representing California, a nod to the next host city. Rapper Snoop Dogg — who has become a fixture of this year’s Games — will play a role in the handover segment. R&B artist H.E.R. will perform the U.S. national anthem at the ceremony.
The full slate of performers remains unconfirmed.
However, there has been speculation that Los Angeles natives Billie Eilish and the Red Hot Chili Peppers will be a part of the event. Meanwhile, French bands Phoenix and Air are expected to perform, according to a Variety interview with ceremonies director Thierry Reboul.
Actor Tom Cruise, who attended various events at the Games and is currently filming “Mission: Impossible 8” in Europe, is also rumored to be part of the closing celebration.
Who are the flag bearers for Team USA?
Swimmer Katie Ledecky and rower Nick Mead will be the flag bearers during the closing ceremony.
Ledecky is the most decorated female Olympian of all time, snagging her 14th medal after the 800-meter freestyle on Aug. 3. She won a gold medal in the event, securing her ninth gold overall.
Mead won a gold medal alongside teammates Liam Corrigan, Michael Grady and Justin Best in the men’s four rowing event. It was the first time since 1960 that Team USA won the event.
