Paris 2024 Olympics closing ceremony: memorable moments

TThe 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris ended its 19-day competition on August 11 with a blowout at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, which was attended by some 71,500 spectators.

The first half of the program was made up of acts that paid homage to the host country and French culture, while the second half was more “Hollywood” as the next Summer Olympics will take place in Los Angeles in 2028.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach praised the athletes for their “Seine-Sational Games.”

“Your performances were incredible. You competed fiercely against each other. Each competition on the verge of perfection. Each performance sparked excitement across the world. You showed us what greatness we humans are capable of.”

Here’s a round-up of the best moments from the 2024 closing ceremony.

The music

The closing ceremony is the moment for France’s best musical acts to shine. Fans went wild for Phoenix, the Grammy-winning rock band from Versailles, who played the hits “Lisztomania,” “If I Ever Feel Better” and “1901.”

However, professional musicians were not the only singers present at the event. The artwork for a section of the closing ceremony called “Athlete Karaoke” saw the world’s best athletes singing Queen’s “We Are the Champions” upon entering the stadium.

The dance

After nearly 9,000 athletes paraded into the stadium, an interpretive dance drama honoring “the power of diversity and solidarity” opened the event.

Giant rings were unfurled to represent the formation of the Olympic rings, and actors performed handstands inside the giant rings.

Alain Roche played the piano vertically while suspended in the air.

The Hollywood treatment

To represent the passing of the torch to the next Summer Olympics host city, Los Angeles, Thomas Bach, head of the International Olympic Committee, handed the Olympic flag to Karen Bass, the first female mayor of Los Angeles. Simone Biles, the most decorated American gymnast of all time, took the stage to represent the USA in the transfer. Next, the five-time Grammy winner, known as “HER,” sang the national anthem.

The cameras switched to Tom Cruise, who was standing on a ledge at the top of the stadium. He was lowered onto the stage by cables. He shook hands with bassist and gymnast Simone Biles, who handed Cruise the Olympic flag, which he strapped to the back of a motorcycle and sped away. Cruzeiro filming cruise through the streets of Paris and then jumping out of a plane in a short pre-filmed stunt-filled montage that plays out like an action thriller. He was shown revealing a version of the Hollywood sign with both “oo”s before the “d” was replaced by multicolored Olympic rings.

The flag was transported by skateboard to a stage on a palm tree-lined beach, where the Grammy winners took to the stage to salute the flag. Red Hot Chili Peppers sang “Can’t Stop” and Billie Eilish sang “Birds of a Feather”. Eilish was dressed in an oversized shirt to resemble the red, white and blue Ralph Lauren polo shirts that US Olympic athletes wore. Then Snoop Dogg, in a red, white and blue blazer, sang a snippet of “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and was later joined by Dr. Dre for his hit “The Next Episode.”

The closing ceremony ended with an electrifying rendition of “My Way”, by Frank Sinatra, by French singer Yseult.

Those with Olympic fever won’t have to wait another four years for more Olympic Games. The next Olympics will take place in Italy in 2026 – all winter sports – and the Olympics will return to France in 2030, also winter games.