The ceremony featured a mix of filmed and live segments, which included the second half of the Los Angeles 2028 presentation, recorded in Long Beach, California.

The actual flame, which was kept nearby in the lantern used to transport it to France aboard the Belem, was taken by French swimmer Léon Marchand, who won four gold medals at the Paris 2024 Games, to the stadium.

The start of the ceremony included expressions of gratitude to the Games' volunteers and audience participation in karaoke of Joe Dassin's "Les Champs-Elysées" and a synchronized light show.

The presentation included the medal ceremony for the women’s marathon, which had finished earlier in the day, chosen to commemorate the Olympics’ gender parity for the first time.

[19] The national anthem of the Netherlands was played for Dutch gold medalist Sifan Hassan, and the newest inductees to the IOC Athletes' Commission thanked the volunteers.

Then the cultural segments began, depicting a world where the Olympic Games were lost, and paying homage to the French baron and Parisian Pierre de Coubertin, who was instrumental in reviving the Olympics for modern times: the stadium went dark, and a golden-winged humanoid alien named the Golden Voyager (named after the French-made Voyager Golden Record brought aboard the two Voyager program space probes, the first man-made objects to leave the heliosphere [itself named after the Greek god Helios]; the organizers also said it represented "the spirit of the Bastille" as well as modern depictions of the Greco-Roman god Apollo),[20] portrayed by dancer Arthur Cadre, descended from its roof onto a white stage shaped like a stylized world map.

[20] The Golden Voyager encountered and interacted with the masked torchbearer and the hooded horsewoman, the two main characters from the opening ceremony, who presented the flag of Greece.

Following this, French band Phoenix made a showcase with Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend, Air, Angèle, Vannda, and Kavinsky to perform a medley of songs at the main stage.

[23] Head of COJOP Tony Estanguet and President of the IOC Thomas Bach made their speeches escorted by six Olympic medalists: Estanguet opined that the national mood had turned from dour to ecstatic, said the Games were "imperfect" but called them a "huge success" and he had "no regrets", and noted that the Games were marked by the most marriage proposals among participating athletes; he then called for France and the world to join Paris and support the 2024 Summer Paralympics.

And we have fallen in love with all of you," thanked the Refugee Olympic Team for their "inspiring" performance, noted the athlete delegations had reached 1:1 gender parity, expressed hope for a new generation of IOC leadership, reflected that the Games would be his last, and made a pun that they were "Seine-sational", to much groaning from the audience.

Afterwards, actor Tom Cruise abseiled from the Stade de France roof (to the "Theme from Mission: Impossible" rearranged on guitar, performed by H.E.R.

This was followed by a concert broadcast from Long Beach, California featuring performances from the Red Hot Chili Peppers ("By the Way" being heard during the Olympic Flag's journey and "Can't Stop" performed on stage), Billie Eilish with her brother Finneas O'Connell on guitars ("Birds of a Feather"),[a] and Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre ("Drop It Like It's Hot" by Snoop Dogg alone and "The Next Episode" with Dr.