Whether it's fashion or food, the French have always been trend-setters and they will continue to show that flair in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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Rather than restrict the showpiece event to the confines of a stadium, one of the world's most beautiful cities will be the backdrop as Paris welcomes the world's best athletes ahead of 16 days of competition.
With proceedings getting underway at 7.30pm local time (0330 Saturday AEST) and lasting for three hours, the athletes of the world will parade in barges for six kilometres along the River Seine.
Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, will line the Seine's banks while three billion viewers are set to tune in around the world.
Slalom canoeist Jessica Fox and hockey star Eddie Ockenden will lead the Australian team as flag-bearers, with around 80 athletes from 17 sports expected to participate.
Other team members will march through the Olympics village before watching the parade as a group.
As the host of Brisbane 2032, Australia will be third last in the order of nations, ahead of only the United States (hosts of Los Angeles 2028) and France.
Chef de mission Anna Meares will be part of the floating flotilla and said excitement was building amongst the Australian contingent.
"They all want to be part of something special in the first opening ceremony conducted in this way," Meares said.
"It is so French and it will be spectacular."
Every bridge along the parade route will feature dancers while Lady Gaga and Celine Dion are expected to star, reportedly set to perform a version of Edith Piaf's 'La Vie en Rose'.
The parade will conclude at the Trocadero, where the Olympic cauldron will be lit and the Games will be declared open.
But the first ever opening ceremony to be staged outside a stadium hasn't been without challenges, with security a major issue.
French president Emmanuel Macron admitted the plan for the river ceremony was very ambitious.
"At the beginning, it seemed to be a crazy and not very serious idea," Macron said this week.
"But we decided it was the right moment to deliver this crazy idea and make it real."
Australian Associated Press
