But in a hint of what may come at the ceremony, a Reuters reporter saw pop superstar Lady Gaga rehearsing on Friday at the heart of Paris, singing “Mon truc en plumes” (My thing made of feathers), a classic 20th-century French cabaret song.
Amid rumours that Canadian singer Celine Dion could also be part of the show, spectator Chantal Beauvais said it would be “magical” to watch her.
It will be the first time that an opening ceremony has taken place outside a stadium.
GEOPOLITICAL TENSIONS
Some 45,000 police and thousands of soldiers have been deployed in a huge security operation in Paris for the opening show.
Since the last Games – the Winter Olympics held in Beijing in 2022 – wars have erupted in Ukraine and Gaza, providing a tense international backdrop. France is at its highest level of security, though officials have repeatedly said there is no specific threat to the opening ceremony or the Games.
