Living up to its moniker, the “City of Lights,” Paris shimmered through heavy rain on Friday evening (July 26, 2024) as the 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony took place outside a stadium for the first time.
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The event along the river Seine dazzled with light shows, pyrotechnics, and live performances, including Céline Dion paying homage to Edith Piaf from atop the Eiffel Tower. However, the true showstopper was the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.
A tradition since the 1928 Amsterdam Games, the lighting of the Olympic flame was uniquely executed this year. Former French Olympians Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner lit the flame, which then gently soared into the night sky.
In a tribute to the Montgolfier brothers, French hot air balloon pioneers, cauldron designer Mathieu Lehanneur created a design never before seen in Olympic history.
What’s Unique About the Flame’s Design?
Traditionally, the Olympic cauldron is positioned on the ground at a prominent site, usually the main stadium, for the duration of the Games. However, Paris 2024’s cauldron introduces an innovative hot air balloon design that allows the Olympic flame to rise into the air.
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During the day, the cauldron will be grounded in the city’s Tuileries Gardens, but in the evening, it will be tethered and raised 30 meters into the air.
The cauldron itself is 30 meters high, reaching a total height of 60 meters. Surrounding its base is a 7-meter-diameter ring, symbolizing fraternity, one of the French Republic’s core values, and housing the Olympic flame.
How Does the Cauldron Work?
The Paris 2024 Olympic flame is unique in that it is powered by electricity rather than fossil fuels. The ring at the base of the balloon features 40 LED lights that illuminate a cloud of water vapor, produced by 200 high-pressure misting nozzles, to create the flickering and smoke effect of real flames.
“This absolutely unique cauldron represents all the spirit I wanted to give to the Olympic and Paralympic objects,” said creator Lehanneur. “Light, magical, and unifying, it will be a beacon in the night and a sun within reach during the day. The fire that burns in it will be made of light and water, like a cool oasis in the heart of summer.”
Both the electricity and water supply are fed from the ground to the balloon structure in the air, powered by Paris 2024 partner EDF.
“Thanks to an innovation by EDF, the Paris 2024 cauldron will shine for the first time with a 100 percent electric flame,” said Luc Rémont, Chairman and CEO of EDF. “This ‘electric revolution’ was made possible thanks to the monumental work carried out by our teams and designer Mathieu Lehanneur.”
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