Sports
The Best Memes & Tweets From The 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony
Here’s a recap of every standout moment on the Seine.
The opening ceremony is always a high point of the Olympic Games. It’s a chance to meet all the athletes and admire each country’s one-of-a-kind uniform. Before the Olympians compete against each other, they’re able to revel in the accomplishment of simply making it this far — and the celebratory air always leads to some very fun, playful moments.
The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris began with an opening ceremony that defies tradition. As noted on the competition’s official website, this marks the first time that the summer event will not take place in a stadium. Instead, the 10,500 athletes made their debut with an on-the-water parade on the Seine.
Naturally, fans reacted to every standout moment.
The Boats Remind Me Of...
Watching the athletes cruise in on a series of boats reminded viewers of, well, just about everything — including Disney’s It’s a Small World ride and the tribute parade from The Hunger Games.
The Performances Had A *Lot* Going On
The fun wasn’t limited to the water, of course. The 2024 opening ceremony featured a series of interconnected stunts and performances — from a peek at Les Misérables rehearsal, to a heavy metal interlude from Gojira, a torch bearer who fans interpreted as an Assassin’s Creed reference.
“Alright France, ya got me. This is pretty f*cking dope,” one viewer wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Got the les mis with the metal. I vibe with it.”
It was quite the eclectic lineup. As one user put it à la Stefon from Saturday Night Live, “This #OpeningCeremony has everything. Boats. Parkour. Accordions. A woman dressed as a croissant. More boats. Lady Gaga.”
The Minions Showed Up, Of Course
Indeed, the opening ceremony had nearly everything, including a short film of the Despicable Me Minions testing their athletic mettle and, ultimately, stealing the Mona Lisa.
The Minions left some viewers celebrating (one user called their appearance “the best part” of the ceremony), and others totally bemused. One viewer joked that “‘are the minions french’ searches just skyrocketed,” and, as it turns out, they are!
Fans Were On Celine Watch
As the hours passed, fans grew impatient for Celine Dion’s highly anticipated performance. “If this boat parade doesn’t culminate in Celine Dion coming down the Seine in a replica of the Titanic belting out My Heart Will Go On, then Paris will have missed a huge trick,” one user wrote.
Another wondered if the beloved musician might be the mysterious, masked torch bearer who’d been running through the city all night. Fortunately, she made her appearance at the very end of the ceremony.
Following Dion’s extended departure from performing due to stiff-person syndrome, it was an awe-inspiring moment that even brought NBC’s commentator Kelly Clarkson to tears.
As part of its Team USA x Bustle 2024 Media Partnership, BDG is amplifying the stories of Team USA athletes, and aiding in the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s mission of empowering America’s elite athletes through physical and mental health resources, funding, high performance support, training facilities, education and career coaching, and more. The USOPC is privately funded by the American public and Team USA sponsors. Learn more at TeamUSA.com and USOPC.org.
