Plans for the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics the first time a Summer Games will start outside a stadium have been a closely guarded secret.
Here is what we know about the concept, the artists and music
Whats the concept?Instead of using the main athletics stadium for the opening parade, as is customary, organisers have moved the event outside and into the heart of the capital in keeping with their motto Games Wide Open.
Around 6,000-7,000 athletes are set to sail down a six-kilometre stretch of the river Seine from the Austerlitz bridge in the east to the Eiffel Tower, on 85 barges and boats.
Up to 500,000 people are set to watch in person from specially built stands, where tickets have sold for up to 2,700 euros 2,900, on the river banks for free, and from the overlooking balconies and apartments.
