Plot Synopsis

On the last day of the Summer Games, fans, athletes and volunteers assemble in the Olympic Stadium one last time to celebrate the spirit of the games through music, song and dance, while featuring a handover from the current host city to the next one. While the opening ceremony is typically filled with pomp and circumstance, the closing ceremony is significantly more relaxed -- so much so that David Arnold, the music director of the 2012 closing ceremony in London declared, "If the opening ceremony was the wedding, then we're the wedding reception." Although less formal, the closing ceremony follows a prescribed order and script, including (in order):
- entrance of the head of state of the host country;
- the national anthem of the host country is played and its flag hoisted in the Olympic stadium;
- the parade of flags of the countries participating in the Games, starting with the Greek flag;
- the athletes parade, as they walk en masse and in no particular order;
- a medals ceremony, usually for the marathon for the Summer Games;
- the presentation of the athletes elected by their peers to the IOC Athletes' Commission;
- the Greek flag being raised to the left of the Olympic flag and the playing of the Greek national anthem;
- the Olympic flag is lowered to the sound of the Olympic anthem;
- an artistic segment of the Closing Ceremony, lasting eight minutes, is devoted to the next host city;
- the OCOG President thanks the athletes and volunteers and the IOC President declares the Games closed;
- the Olympic flame is extinguished in the stadium.

In 1960, CBS aired a 30-minute, condensed version of the Closing Ceremony from Rome, the day after the event. For the next two Summer Olympics, the Closing Ceremonies were shown on tape delay on the same night. Then, in 1972, the Closing Ceremony was broadcast live for the first time in the United States, along with videotape coverage of Olympic Jumping Grand Prix Equestrian from Munich, Germany.
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The 2024 Summer Olympics closing ceremony was broadcast by NBC on Sunday, August 11, 2024 from 3-6pm ET/Noon-3pm PT (live) and then again in primetime from 7-10pm ET/PT (tape). Live coverage can also be streamed on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com. Coverage is hosted by Jimmy Fallon, Mike Tirico, Terry Gannon, Tara Lipinski, and Johnny Weir.

The Closing Ceremony takes place at the France's national stadium, the Stade de France, which was converted to a concert hall for the ceremony. Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the Opening Ceremony, is also overseeing the Closing Ceremony. Over 100 dancers, acrobats, singers, and other performers are expected to make an appearance in a program the committee has named "Records." Fourteen-time Olympic medalist Katie Ledecky and Olympic rowing gold medalist Nick Mead are flagbearers for the United States in the closing ceremony.

Finally, a portion of the Closing Ceremony is dedicated to the host city handover from Paris to Los Angeles. Global megastar Snoop Dogg, who has been a part of NBCUniversal's coverage of the Paris Olympics throughout the duration of the Games and is a California native, will participate in the LA28 "handover" segment. Grammy and Academy Award-winning artist Billie Eilish and Grammy-winning group Red Hot Chili Peppers are set to perform, while Grammy Award-winning artist H.E.R., also born and raised in California, will sing the National Anthem at Stade de France. The LA28 Countdown will be hosted by five-time Olympic medalist, tennis champion and entrepreneur Venus Williams. Countdown to LA28 will follow the Closing Ceremony on NBC and Peacock.