Paris 2024 Olympics Closing Ceremony: From Edited Content After Controversial Opening Ceremony to Tom Cruise's Zipline

After nearly three weeks of drama and excitement, the 2024 Paris Olympics will come to an end today. The closing ceremony is scheduled to take place at 2:00 a.m. on August 12 (Vietnam time). If the Opening Ceremony is held along the Seine River, a first for the 2024 Olympics, the Closing Ceremony will take place at the Stade de France Stadium, one of the iconic venues of the Games.

Thomas Jolly, artistic director of the Paris 2024 Olympics, has named the ceremony “Records”, with initial information indicating that more than 100 artists will participate, with music, lighting and special performances taking the audience on “a journey through time, both past and future”.

CEO Thierry Reboul admitted to having to revise the script “dozens of times” after the backlash to the opening event on the Seine. He also oversaw rehearsals at the Stade de France from 1am to 5am (to avoid overlapping with athletics events), later saying that participants had shown “pride, love and passion” in an attempt to create a buzz.

"I don't know of any Olympics where the Closing Ceremony changed the perception of the Opening Ceremony, but this time, we're going to do it and reorient the whole perception of the Olympics," he said.

The Stade de France will be transformed into a giant concert hall with a 2,800m2 stage. As in previous editions, it will include traditional ceremonies such as the extinguishing of the Olympic flame, the handing over of the Olympic flag to the Los Angeles 2028 Organizing Committee and the parade of athletes to close out a vibrant summer of sports.

Tom Cruise has been rumoured to be making an appearance at the Closing Ceremony, with rumours that Taylor Swift or Beyonce could be in attendance. A video of Cruise riding a motorbike through the streets of Paris and boarding a plane to California with the Olympic flag in his hand will be shown. In the US, he will parachute onto the Hollywood sign and hand the flag to several athletes before it is passed around Los Angeles - the host city for the next Olympics in 2028. At the Stade de France, Cruise will "slide down from the top of the stadium" with the Olympic flag.

According to Reboul, the introduction to the next Olympics in Los Angeles is being extended beyond its normal time frame. “Usually it’s a 12-minute sequence to kick off future Olympics, this time it’s going to be a little longer,” he said.