Top 20 Greatest Olympic Opening Ceremonies of All Time
#20: Athens 1896
A memorable opening ceremony was obviously needed for the 1896 Athens Games, as this was the first Olympics of the modern era. The ceremony was positively quaint by today’s extravagant standards, but there was a lot of meaning behind the event. It took place in Athens’ Panathenaic Stadium, an all-marble stadium dating back to 330 BC. It was packed with 80,000 spectators, and most of the Olympics’ 241 male athletes were lined up by nation. The Games were opened by George I of Greece, and the now-famous Olympic Hymn was performed for the very first time. This Hymn was subsequently made the official Olympic Anthem in 1958. Can you imagine the excitement of being there in person, witnessing history being made?
#19: Torino 2006
Italy’s second Winter Games, Torino 2006 had over 2,600 athletes from 80 nations competing in 84 events. The opening ceremony began with a sensational celebration of Italian culture. A snowy show honored the Alps and the glory of winter. The massive Olympic Rings were raised with the help of acrobats and fireworks, and the Renaissance was honored with a reference to Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. A Ferrari F2005 loudly revved its engine and did donuts. Most famous of all, the late Italian opera legend Luciano Pavarotti gave a stunning performance. Put simply, there was something for everyone in this ceremony.
#18: Moscow 1980
The 1980 Moscow Olympics were the first summer Games to be held in a communist country. Numerous nations boycotted that year’s Olympics, resulting in the smallest turnout in 24 years. But in the process, Moscow forever changed how Olympic opening ceremonies were conducted. Before this, the openings were purely ceremonial in nature. But wanting to show off for the rest of the world (and maybe stick it to the boycotting nations), Moscow actually put on a big show. This included chariots, a traditional dance suite, acrobatics, and human performers shaping the Olympic rings. Following the Moscow games, elaborate artistic achievements became a regular part of Olympic opening ceremonies.
#17: Salt Lake City 2002
Top 5 Best Himalayan Salt Lamps
The Salt Lake City games took place during a tense time, just months after 9/11. This was honored in the ceremony itself, as New York police officers and firefighters carried in an American flag rescued from the site. The ceremony also honored Utah culture, complete with a massive puppet animals, dancing pioneers, and traditional Native American stomp dances. President Bush opened the ceremony, and acclaimed movie composer John Williams created a piece entitled “Call of the Champions,” which was performed live by the Utah Symphony Orchestra. The ceremony honored American history and celebrated its culture while also proving the country’s resilience in the face of horrific tragedy.
#16: Antwerp 1920
The Antwerp Summer Games were the first to be held since the outbreak of World War I, as the 1916 Berlin games were cancelled. As a result, the Axis countries were not allowed to compete in Antwerp. The 1920 games honored the newfound world peace in various beautiful ways. The first Olympic Oath was spoken by star Belgian athlete Victor Boin, and has since become an integral part of Olympic ceremonies. Doves were released into the sky. And perhaps most importantly, the now iconic Olympics symbol was introduced, with a flag displaying five intertwined rings as a symbol for world unity. This original flag is now held in Switzerland’s Olympic Museum.
#15: Sochi 2014
The 2014 Winter Olympics returned to Russia for the first time since 1980, costing a record-shattering $50 billion. The opening ceremony opened with an 11-year-old child reciting the Russian alphabet, with each letter corresponding to a famous piece of Russian culture. Following that, the ceremony’s most famous event occurred, as one of the Olympic rings failed to expand. It was very memorable. The subsequent performance honored Russian history, touching on subjects like Peter the Great, the Russian and Bolshevik Revolutions, and the construction of St. Basil’s Cathedral. The opening ceremony concluded with a spectacular performance of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker”, complete with the firing of 22 tons of fireworks. Russia certainly knows how to put on a show.
#14: Vancouver 2010
The third Olympics held in Canada (after Montreal 1976 and Calgary 1988), the Vancouver Winter Games opened at BC Place Stadium, making it the first indoor opening ceremony in Olympics history. Over 4000 performers played to an audience of nearly 62,000. The ceremony opened with a welcome by the Four Host First Nations and a dance by Indigenous performers. What followed was typical Olympics extravagance, complete with a towering light-up Kermode bear, a simulated floor depicting the Arctic sea, skiing aerialists, and Canadian celebrities like Wayne Gretzky and Nelly Furtado. It honored Canadian culture in a tasteful manner, entertaining its crowd with spectacular visuals while respecting the country’s cultural and geographic diversity.
#13: Pyeongchang 2018
The first Winter Olympics in South Korea, Pyeongchang set a Winter Games record by holding 102 events in 7 sports. The opening ceremony also contained its fair share of achievements. Delegations from North Korea were present, including Kim Jong-un’s sister Kim Yo-jong, and the athletes from North and South Korea all marched with the Korean Unification Flag. TV audiences also watched a world-record 1,218 drones conducting a massive light show before forming into the Olympic rings. And of course, K-pop was front and center, complete with music from Psy and BTS. This was a history-making opening ceremony, showcasing Korean culture in a most entertaining way.
#12: Amsterdam 1928
The 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam introduced a few new traditions to the opening ceremony, and as such, it has been firmly ingrained in Olympics history. While it didn’t contain the torch relay, these games saw the first lighting of the Olympic Flame, which was given its own designated altar at the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium. It was also the first Olympic parade to begin with the Greek delegations and end with the host country. Both the flame and the parade configuration have become traditional aspects of Olympic opening ceremonies. A lot can be traced back to the 1928 Amsterdam games, and one could certainly argue that the modern opening ceremony began here.
#11: Rio 2016
Top 10 Olympic Opening Ceremonies
The first Olympics to be held in South America, the Rio de Janeiro opening ceremony was produced on a significantly smaller budget than its predecessors, at just $6.5 million. But it only proved that money doesn’t have to be an issue when it comes to putting on a good show. The ceremony contained gorgeous and vivid light displays, not to mention some showstopping choreography from thousands of performers. But the ceremony stands out for its strong themes of climate change and environmental conservation. Rio used its public stage to speak out on these crucial issues, including a harrowing video in which Rio is engulfed by rising sea levels. The show blended spectacle with thoughtfulness, and it will forever be remembered as a risky, and ultimately rewarding, ceremony.
#10: London 1948
The Coolest London Boutique Hotels | MojoTravels
After a 12-year hiatus of the Olympics due to WWII, the 1948 games, nicknamed the “Austerity Games,” were an opportunity to honor the past and attempt to unite a broken world (even if the Soviet Union declined to participate). Instead of focusing on grand theatrics, this Olympic kickoff was relatively understated. Army bands marched in front of a crowd at Wembley Stadium, thousands of pigeons were released, and a 21-gun salute went off as the last runner in the torch relay ran around the track. Simple and effective, it honored the dire economic circumstances some countries were in after the war, while showing that the human spirit couldn’t be defeated.
#9: Seoul 1988
Why Seoul Is So Hot Right Now| MojoTravels
Memories of this event are often overshadowed by an unfortunate event: the roasting of doves. After a flock of doves were released into the stadium, the birds were meant to fly away but instead they hung out on the Olympic cauldron, which led to them getting burned when it was lit. It was a horrific sight, but despite that, the ceremony did have some great moments when it came to the choreographed taekwondo, and the skydivers who formed the Olympic rings. The dove incident taught the IOC a lesson, and after the 1992 Games, nations were no longer allowed to release birds into the stadium.
#8: Los Angeles 1984
Top 10 Lakers Players of All Time
1984 marked the first time the Summer Olympics were held in the US since 1932, which were also in L.A.. Before a crowd of almost 100,000, the ceremony celebrated “Music of America,” and a big band and orchestra played hits ranging from Gershwin to Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.” Visually, the event featured 1000 volunteers marching in with balloons and a banner that said “Welcome” in over 100 languages. A big WOW moment came when a young rocketeer, Bill Suitor, flew across the stadium on a jet pack. The African-American champion decathlete Rafer Johnson, the 1960 Olympic flag-bearer, lit the cauldron.
#7: Tokyo 1964
How to Spend 24 Hours in Tokyo
One for the history books, the 1964 Summer Olympics was the first held on the Asian continent. This was also the first time the event was televised live worldwide. The Japanese put on a show that demonstrated Japan’s desire to move on from the atrocities of WWII and usher in a more peaceful era in world politics. This was demonstrated by the lighting of the Olympic flame by Yoshinori Sakai, a man born in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, the same day an atomic bomb was dropped on the city. It was a powerful gesture by the Japanese people, and one that captures the true essence of the Games.
#6: Atlanta 1996
Top 5 BEST Fights from The Real Housewives of Atlanta
As American as apple pie, the Atlanta Opening Ceremony felt like a football game on a much grander scale. Featuring marching bands, steppers and cheerleaders, the ceremony was deeply inspired by the culture of the South. Performers and props evoked the South’s story, from the Civil War to the eventual Southern renaissance, incorporating music such as jazz and gospel standards. Gladys Knight also busted out a monumental version of "Georgia on My Mind", the state’s official song. But one of the most touching moments came when boxing legend Muhammad Ali, who was suffering from Parkinson’s disease, lit the Olympic cauldron.
#5: Barcelona 1992
Top 11 Greatest Barcelona Players in Football History
Barcelona made sure that their opening ceremony was a celebration of life. With giant, colorful puppets manned by puppeteers dancing throughout the stadium it was hard not to get caught up in the spirit of the event. Andrew Lloyd Webber contributed the Games’ theme song, "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends for Life) which was sung live by Sarah Brightman and José Carreras. But what made this opener stand out the most was the lighting of the cauldron. To light the flame, paralympic archer Antonio Rebollo shot a flaming arrow across the stadium. The moment was unforgettable and instantly iconic.
#4: London 2012
Top 10 Must-See Attractions in London
The Brits made the right decision when they picked filmmaker Danny Boyle to direct the show. Boyle and his creative team created a presentation that infused the theme “Isles of Wonder” into every minute. The show’s strength was its ability to mix pop culture in with a telling of the nation’s history, from its humble beginnings to becoming a world leader. With appearances from pop culture faves including Mary Poppins, Mr. Bean, James Bond, Harry Potter, and many more, there was something for everyone. And the music! Featured songs including “London Calling,” “My Generation,” and “Bohemian Rhapsody,” gave the show a palpable energy that encapsulated the spirit of Great Britain.
#3: Sydney 2000
Full of energy from the get-go, they started with a horse show paying tribute to the Australian Stock Horse: 120 riders performed a beautifully choreographed step routine that included forming the five Olympic rings. They told the world “G’Day,” and proceeded to wow with sections of the show that included a tribute to the Great Barrier Reef, Aboriginal culture, and even a nature segment depicting the stages of bushfire destroying and replenishing life. There was one small snafu, as the ascension of a giant ring of fire to the top of the stadium stalled for four long minutes, but even a little mistake couldn’t take away from the spectacular show.
#2: Athens 2004
As the birthplace of the first Olympics, Athens had a Hellas lot of history to celebrate. The past and present were tied together onscreen with drummers playing in both the Ancient Olympia Stadium and the new Athens Olympic Stadium. A rocket, simulated to have been launched from the older stadium, landed in the pool of the newer stadium and lit flaming Olympic rings, symbolizing the past giving life to the modern era. The show was split into two segments, “Allegory” and “Hourglass,” the first more conceptual, the second about Greek history. The show was a feat in technology with praise given to the lighting, floating sculptures, and the innovation used to drain the pool in a mere two minutes.
#1: Beijing 2008
Featuring a whopping 15,000 performers, the Beijing opening ceremony was a triumphant feat of planning and execution. Directed by Zhang Yimou, a Chinese filmmaker known for movies such as “Raise the Red Lantern,” the artistic section of the ceremony was divided into two parts: “Brilliant Civilization” and “Glorious Era.” They told the story of China’s rich history as well as depicting a vision for peace and harmony worldwide. Beginning with the beating of bronze Fou drums, the show depicted aspects of Chinese history and culture including scroll painting, terracotta soldiers, the Silk Road, and Chinese opera. The four-hour ceremony cost approximately a massive $100 million US, but every penny was worth it for an Opening Ceremony second to none.
