LA Olympics organisers promise Hollywood blockbuster for the opening ceremony
Some details have been confirmed about the LA Olympics opening ceremony
The LA Olympics opening ceremony will take place in two venues at the same time – and it will be a Hollywood blockbuster.
On 14 July 2028, the Games will launch at the 2028 Stadium in Inglewood and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, about eight miles away.
A spokesperson for the Games said the ceremonies have been “handed to Hollywood”, in the hands of Peter Rice, who went from 20th Century Fox to Disney where he is head of ceremonies and content.
He is joined by Ben Winston, the Emmy Award-winning producer behind the Paris-to-LA Olympic handover in 2024, and experienced ceremonies producer Scott Givens.
“There is no event of this scale in the world,” Mr Rice told Variety. “We also are putting it on in Hollywood, which has a unique opportunity to tap into the entertainment world that no other city anywhere can do.”
Last time LA hosted the Olympics, in 1984, the opening ceremony featured a man in a rocket pack taking off from the coliseum and landing on the track, followed by the rolling out of 84 grand pianos.
“2028 breaks it in two, combining the modernity of the 2028 stadium with the rich history of the coliseum, which will become the first venue to stage events at three Olympic Games,” the spokesperson said.
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“In 1984, Los Angeles reinvented the Olympic opening ceremony inside one stadium. Now it is doing it again – across two, with Hollywood telling the story.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.