Even though some of the Games began on Wednesday, the Opening Ceremony will take place on Friday, July 26, at 1:30 p.m. ET.
For the first time in Olympic history, the ceremony will not take place or lead into a stadium. The opening ceremony will be a boating parade through the recently cleaned Seine River. Since 2015 organizers have spent $1.5 billion to clean up the river before the Olympics began.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo recently swam in the river to prove that the Seine River was once again safe to swim in again after people were banned from doing so due to health concerns.
The parade will run about 3.7 miles, taking the 10,500 athletes participating in the games through the center of Paris. The parade route will conclude in front of the Trocadéro, where the rest of the Olympic protocol and final shows will take place.
The Opening Ceremony will be the largest attended in the history of the games, as residents of Paris along with tourists from around the world can go along the river and watch.
