📸Guillaume Bontemps/ Ville de Paris
The opening of Paris Plages (Paris on the beach) on July 06, 2024 marked the official start of the celebrations in Paris. From the Games Terrace to the 16 festive district sites, here’s a look at the venues that will be spreading joy across the city.
This summer, the forecourt of the Hôtel de Ville will come alive with 45 days of free festivities. The first highlight: 14 July, celebrated with a concert by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the setting for the Olympic flame, which will spend the night at the Hôtel de Ville after its first day on the streets of the capital. Parisians and visitors alike will have the opportunity to meet the flame.
The festivities on the forecourt of the Hôtel de Ville will continue throughout the summer with the Games Terrace, open from 20 July to 8 September. Free and accessible to all, including people with a disability, everyone will be able to enjoy the Olympic and Paralympic Games via two giant screens showing live competition coverage and a main stage with daily artistic performances (concerts, shows, DJ sets, etc.). Six sports areas will also be available to visitors, including two multi-sport fields, a dojo, a city stadium, an athletics track and a climbing wall.
At the end of August, the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of Paris (24 August) and the arrival of the 12 Paralympic flames will be celebrated here. Fun workshops on social and environmental issues will complement the activities. An elevated terrace will provide a dining area and a prime panoramic viewpoint: perfect for enjoying sunsets over the Seine and breathtaking views of Paris’ landmarks. Uniquely, the Games Terrace will be at the heart of some Olympic competitions, including the start of the elite men’s marathon (10 August at 8am) and the elite women’s marathon (11 August at 8am). It will also be the starting point for the Marathon for All.
The Games will also come alive in all the arrondissements, each of which has created a free festival site for the occasion. From Olympic sports and lesser-known disciplines to live competition broadcasts, film screenings, shows, concerts, first aid training, food trucks and virtual reality, the programme at each arrondissement’s festival site will be dense and varied, with something for everyone.
Some arrondissements have chosen sports venues to host the public, while others have opted for iconic locations such as the Arènes de Lutèce (5th arrondissement), Place Saint-Sulpice (6th arrondissement) or the Rotonde Stalingrad (19th arrondissement). Others are set in green spaces: Parc Monceau (8th), Jardin de Reuilly – Paul-Pernin (12th) or Jardin d’Éole (18th). Each site will have its own unique character and atmosphere, with the common feature of a giant screen for broadcasts, dining areas and a variety of activities.
- Numeris Média is officially accredited media to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games