How to watch the Paris 2024 opening ceremony online for free

Live stream the hotly anticipated opening ceremony along the River Seine from anywhere in the world.
By Joseph Green  on 
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General view of the Seine River
Credit: Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

TL;DR: Live stream the Paris 2024 opening ceremony for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.


Paris 2024 promises to bring together the very best athletes in the world in a festival of sporting excellence. But before all of that, we've got the opening ceremony. There is something for everyone in this spectable, even if you're really not into all the athletic events that follow.

And this opening ceremony is special, because for the first time, it will not take place in a stadium. The Paris 2024 opening ceremony is set to take place in the heart of the city along this River Seine. It's going to be epic, and you can watch absolutely everything live without spending anything.

If you want to watch the Paris 2024 opening ceremony for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is the Paris 2024 opening ceremony?

The Paris 2024 opening ceremony takes place from 2:34 p.m. ET on July 26. Athletes will be showcased as they travel along the River Seine in boats, finishing at the Trocadéro.

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How to watch the Paris 2024 opening ceremony for free

The Paris 2024 opening ceremony is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.

BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock free streaming sites like BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.

Unblock BBC iPlayer for free by following this simple process:

  1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

  2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

  3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

  4. Visit BBC iPlayer

  5. Live stream the Paris 2024 opening ceremony from anywhere in the world

ExpressVPN logo
Credit: ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free)
$99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock BBC iPlayer without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it gives you time to stream the Paris 2024 opening ceremony (plus all the events that follow) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

ExpressVPN is the best service for streaming live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:

  • Servers in 105 countries including the UK

  • Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

  • Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

  • Fast connection speeds free from throttling

  • Up to eight simultaneous connections

  • 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream the Paris 2024 opening ceremony for free with ExpressVPN.

Photo of Joseph Green
Joseph Green
Global Shopping Editor

Joseph Green is the Global Shopping Editor for Mashable. He covers VPNs, headphones, fitness gear, dating sites, streaming services, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day.

Joseph is also Executive Editor of Mashable's sister site, AskMen.


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