Jul 26, 2024 - Olympics

The 1996 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, in photos

Thomas Wheatley

A zoomed out photo of a packed stadium with a city skyline in the background. People on the field assemble to make five colored interconnected rings. — A view of the opening ceremony at the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. Photo: Pascal Guyot/AFP via Getty Images

Nearly 30 years ago, Atlanta took the world stage and started writing one of the city's most historic chapters: the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Driving the news: On Friday, 10,500 athletes from around the world will open the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics with a twist: They're having a boat parade and extravaganza on the famous River Seine.

Flashback: On July 19, 1996, nearly 90,000 people from around the world opened the centennial Summer Olympics in the city's new stadium built for the global games.

An estimated 3.5 billion people watched on TV, according to the AJC, making it the most-viewed opening ceremony in Olympics history at the time.

Zoom in: The night was an unforgettable and occasionally psychedelic affair celebrating Atlanta — and the South's past and people that included cheerleaders and a giant mechanical bird.

Shadow dancers posed, like Greek athletes, performers swirled in oversized green and red costumes, and fireworks erupted with the booming city skyline in the background.
Then-President Bill Clinton opened the games. Atlanta native Gladys Knight and Celine Dion sang, and "Star Wars" and "Jaws" composer John Williams conducted the music.

The memory: Muhammad Ali, visibly trembling because of Parkinson's Disease, lighting the Olympic flame. An 18-year-old Ali won a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.

Fun fact: The ceremony included a custom fleet of chrome Chevrolet pick-up trucks rigged with spotlights.

State of play: Following the games, the Olympic stadium was tweaked to accommodate the Atlanta Braves after Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium became obsolete.

Today the venue formerly known as Turner Field is now Center Parc Stadium, the home of Georgia State University Panthers football.

Two individuals wearing suits sing the national anthem with their hands over their hearts while another individual in a suit looks on quietly. — International Olympic Committee Chairman Juan Antonio Samaranch joined President Bill Clinton and the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games' Billy Payne during the national anthem. Credit: Luke Frazza/AFP via Getty Images

A group of dozens of athletes wearing red coats and derby hats and holding a U.S. flag march into a ceremony at a stadium — Team USA enters the Olympic Stadium. Credit: Simon Bruty/Allsport

A dancer in a full body blue costume with giant peacock-like wings performs — Brightly colored dancers performed during the ceremony. Credit: Ross Kinnaird/Allsport

Backlit dancers perform in front of large screens, creating shadow silhouettes and giving them an oversized appearance — Dancers perform in silhouette form to reflect the classic poses of the ancient Greek athletes. Photo: Edward Roda/Allsport/Getty Images

A chrome pick-up truck with a large light drives past a group of cheerleaders performing a pyramid in a packed stadium — Cheerleaders and chrome pick-up trucks rigged with spotlights were part of the performance. Credit: Ross Kinnaird/Staff

Dancers wearing oversized red, green and black costumes lined with gold perform — Dancers during the ceremony. Credit: Lutz Bongarts/Bongarts/Getty Images

An individual dressed all in white stands in a spotlight and lights a cauldron with a large torch. — Muhammad Ali lights the Olympic flame. Credit:

A photo of silhouettes of people cheering in the foreground in a stadium where a large nighttime ceremony is illuminated by spotlights — Billions of people around the world watched the ceremony. Credit: Jean-Yves Ruszniewski/TempSport/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

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The 1996 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, in photos

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