The opening ceremony of the 2018 Asian Games took place on Saturday, 18 August 2018, at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia.

[5][6] Before the ceremony commenced, footage of the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, leaving Bogor Palace for Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in a motorcade, was shown.

When the motorcade was blocked by a parade of Indonesian supporters, the President exited his car, put on a black helmet and rode a Yamaha FZ1 to escape the traffic jam.

After performing some stunt maneuvers and helping a group of students and a teacher to cross the road, he was joined by a motorcycle escort and approached the stadium.

The ceremony observed a moment of silence to remember the victims of the recent Lombok earthquake[15] right after the Indonesian flag was raised by the Paskibraka youth group troop.

[17] After the raising, Indonesian basketball player Arki Dikania Wisnu and badminton umpire Wahyana read the athlete's and referee's oath.

[18][19] The water, earth, wind and fire depict the natural beauty of Indonesia and also the country's courage and competitive spirit, while Energy of Asia, the final segment named after the games motto, was about how future generations will help build Indonesia into a leader of tomorrow while remembering their guiding principles of respect and equality.

Indonesia's first Olympic gold medalist Susi Susanti – who won the coveted title in the 1992 badminton women's singles – became the final bearer and lit the volcano's crater.

Each contingent was led by a representative official that wore a bird-shaped Garuda costume while carrying each country’s name placard.

[31][32] Joko Widodo's entrance drew comparisons to the London 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony's Happy and Glorious segment, which featured Daniel Craig (as James Bond) and Queen Elizabeth II making an impressive entrance with a helicopter,[9] and the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics closing ceremony's Warming up!

Tokyo 2020 segment, in which the Prime Minister of Japan Shinzō Abe made an appearance by "coming through" Warp Pipe from the Mario Bros. video game.