French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Olympic Games open on Friday (July 26) after a soaking wet ceremony in which athletes were cheered by the crowd along the Seine, dancers took to the roofs of Paris and Lady Gaga sang a French cabaret song.
The 30-metre (98 ft) high balloon carrying a 7-metre diametre ring of fire took to the air and was hovering dozens of metres above the ground.
It will be in the air from sunset until 2 am local time every day, organisers said.
While the celebration of French culture, fashion and history was warmly cheered by many of the 300,000 spectators lining the river, hundreds were seen leaving early as the rain fell.
A mix of French and international stars, including soccer great Zinedine Zidane, 14-times French Open champion Rafa Nadal, 23-times Grand Slam champion Serena Williams and three paralympic athletes were among the last torchbearers before the cauldron was lit.
