French judoka Teddy Riner and sprinter Marie-José Pérec, a three-time Olympic gold medallist, light Olympic flame
Celine Dion then performs partway up the Eiffel Tower
Lady Gaga, Zinedine Zidane and the Minions among those involved in breathtaking performance
Diver Tom Daley and rower Helen Glover Great Britain's flagbearers
Watch: Rapper Snoop Dogg carries Olympic torch through Paris
Jess Anderson
BBC Sport in Paris
Image source, ReutersThe crowds are going mad for this.
You can’t beat a bit of rain to make things even more dramatic and there’s an absolute party going on here as the heavens open over Paris.
People are dancing and singing along with that performance from Aya Nakamura, which was directly opposite us here on the river.
Tom Daley and Helen Glover recreate a famous movie scene on the Team GB boat...
Image source, Reuters
Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport by the River Seine
We often say we want our athletes to act more human.
Nothing more human than seeing the greatest athletes in the world waving and shrieking like day trippers on the Seine.
Especially when they see people above on a bridge.
Come on, some of you must have done it…
Image source, BBC SportAya Nakamura is the most-streamed French-language artist in the world.
I can't say I'm too familiar with her work but she could be a new one for my on repeat playlist.
Julien Laurens
French football expert on BBC Radio 5 Live
I feel emotional just watching it and being here, just talking about it.
I was talking yesterday about how amazing this was going to be for the Parisians of course but also all the French people at a difficult time for the country.
It's just beautiful.
On we go to égalité (equality) and the masked torch bearer is back again, lighting the touch paper and opening up the stage for French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura to emerge all in gold too.
Eleanor Oldroyd
Commentator on BBC Radio 5 Live
Image source, Getty ImagesWe're seeing people dancing on stilts.
It almost makes you feel slightly seasick watching them as they sway backwards and forwards.
Away from the River Seine, we're seeing some incredible acrobatics on the streets of Paris.
It's still raining but the show must go on as they climb across the high wire.
Canada bringing the party!
Image source, Getty Images
Alistair Bruce-Ball
Commentator on BBC Radio 5 Live
Image source, ReutersThe picture they have struck again, the visual image here is absolutely stunning.
The various members of the band are standing on tiny little terraces, little balconies on the edge of the turrets of this building on the side of the Seine.
Julien Laurens
French football expert on BBC Radio 5 Live
The fireworks, the tricolour that was saw at the start, they went in the countryside and did it [rehearsals] there in secret. Apart from that in those big warehouses, each scene was rehearsed individually.
The only thing they could not rehearse was actually the boats on the water which was the biggest worry because they didn't know how it would go.
We head to section three on this journey - Liberty.
The tones of 'Do You Hear the People Sing?' from Les Miserables get us going before a huge change of gear takes us into some heavy metal.
I'm fairly certain this is Gojira who are stealing the show.
In between the boats transporting the athletes down the Seine, we have a variety of musical and dance acts to break up things.
This was American singer Lady Gaga's performance.
That Louis Vuitton case (19:08) has just been loaded on to a boat on the River Seine and is being transported towards the Trocadero at the end.
American Michael Phelps, who won 23 gold medals in swimming, is helping that case get to its destination.
Julien Laurens
French football expert on BBC Radio 5 Live
Each one of the medals whether bronze, silver or gold will have a little bit of the Eiffel Tower in them. I think it's a great touch.
Harry Poole
BBC Sport in Paris
Everyone wants to catch a glimpse as the boats begin to travel down the River Seine towards Trocadero and the Eiffel Tower.
Greece, as is tradition, lead the way. The Parisien crowds have brought their A-game this evening, loudly cheering each and every federation as they pass.
What a fun start to the ceremony this has been - not even the increasing rain can dampen spirits here.
Sir Andy Murray, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, is competing in the last tennis tournament of his career as he pairs up with Dan Evans in the men's doubles.
Murray is among those on the Team GB boat, which we will see later on, and he wanted to enjoy every second of his 2024 Olympics experience.
Eleanor Oldroyd
Commentator on BBC Radio 5 Live
We're now seeing an incredible display of choreography on the scaffolding around Notre Dame, which was devastated by a fire in 2019. I think that must have hit the people of Paris very hard and there's a theme of renewal in this ceremony. Trying to rebuild.
As Julien says, tonight's parade is set across 12 'artistic acts' and we have just entered number 2 - 'Synchronicity'.
We're looking at the the way industry have developed over the years in the city from woodwork right through to a more modern crafting of some very fancy Louis Vuitton cases.
Now it's on to how the medals have been crafted.
It's a lovely journey through time.
Julien Laurens
French football expert on BBC Radio 5 Live
Twelve of them [scenes to pass through], telling the story of Paris, of fraternity, of France with music, with dancers with all sorts of surprises, all along this six kilometers.
