Tom Cruise stunt?: what to expect at Paris Olympics closing ceremony

When is the Olympic closing ceremony?

The closing ceremony will take place on Sunday, August 11. It is scheduled to take place between 21:00 and 23:15 French time. 

Read more: Paris Olympics hailed as most spectacular of all time around world

Where will the closing ceremony take place? 

Unlike the opening ceremony, which took place along the river Seine, the closing ceremony will be held in a stadium – the Stade de France. France’s largest stadium has played host to the athletics and rugby sevens events during the Paris Olympics. 

Are tickets still available? 

Tickets are still available from the official ticketing website for the closing ceremony. Prices range from €250 to €1,600. The cheapest tickets – at €45 – are sold out.

What do we know about the closing ceremony?

The ceremony, entitled ‘Records’, will be directed by Thomas Jolly, who also took the helm of the opening ceremony on Friday, July 26 – so expect something spectacular. 

Organisers have been keeping the specifics quiet, but they have said the Stade de France will be transformed into a “giant concert hall” for the occasion. 

Over 100 performers, acrobats, dancers and circus artists will create a “visual spectacle” that will include an original soundtrack, musical performances and “the participation of world-renowned singers”. 

Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, speaking on FranceInfo on Tuesday, said the “musical dimension” would be “even stronger” than during the opening ceremony. 

The ceremony will also include the traditional aspects of Olympics closing ceremonies: a parade of flags and athletes, speeches and the extinguishing of the Olympic flame. 

Speaking ahead of the Olympics, organiser Thomas Jolly said “this moment of celebration will be an opportunity to reflect on the importance of the Olympic Games in our society”. 

He revealed the show would revolve around the Olympic Games disappearing and being rediscovered in a distant future. “It’s a very visual, very choreographic, very acrobatic show with an operatic dimension”. 

France 24 quotes Jolly saying the ceremony would combine “wonder” and “dystopia”, suggesting a futuristic theme.

Who will perform at the closing ceremony? 

French indie rock band Phoenix and electronic duo Air will perform at the closing ceremony, according to French media reports. 

Both bands have had global success, with Air’s debut album Moon Safari selling over two million copies worldwide and spawning the hits Sexy Boy and All I Need. 

Phoenix won a Grammy award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2010 for Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. The band is fronted by Thomas Mars, who is married to film director Sofia Coppola. 

The band confirmed they were in Paris, posting a picture of them on a Paris rooftop on X on Monday. 

The bands, both from Versailles, near Paris, performed a joint concert on the roof of Terminal 1 of Charles-de-Gaulle airport in July ahead of the Olympics.

French composer Jean-Michel Jarre has also been touted as a possible performer. 

Oscar-winning French actress Marion Cotillard was slated to perform Frank Sinatra’s My Way during the ceremony, several French outlets report, but will no longer perform, because of her contract with Chanel, a rival of Games sponsor LVMH.

Tom Cruise stunt 

Tom Cruise, who has already been spotted watching Team USA compete in the Gymnastics competition, will take part in an epic stunt to close the Olympics, according to US site TMZ. It will see Cruise pass the Olympic flag onto Los Angeles, which will host the 2028 Games. 

Reports say Cruise will abseil down into the Stade de France carrying the Olympic flag. The screens will then cut to a video of him skydiving down to LA and landing at the Hollywood Sign.