Paris is abuzz with thousands of athletes and spectators arriving for the 2024 Olympic Games — but it isn't just the arrival of sporting superstars to the city that is generating excitement.
Speculation is rife on which artists will take to the stage during the opening ceremony on July 27.
Most notably, divas Lady Gaga and Celine Dion have both been spotted in Paris, with fans theorising on social media they might be there to perform in the Olympic opener.
Artistic director for the opening ceremony Thomas Jolly has been tight-lipped about the line-up, only telling Associated Press that "it will be very meaningful for the artists that will perform".
We might not know until the ceremony kicks off, with acts usually kept secret.
Here are some of the performers punters suspect (or hope) may take to the stage.
Celine Dion
According to US Magazine Variety, The French-Candian singer has been spotted staying near the Champs-Élysées.
While she gets points for being a famous French (Canadian) speaker, given her recent health struggles, it's unlikely she could perform.
In 2022, the singer revealed her diagnosis of Stiff Person Syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease that causes muscles to stiffen and spasm.
It wouldn't be her first time on the Olympic stage — the singer performed at the opening ceremony in Atlanta in 1996.
The singer has said she may never perform again due to her illness despite really wanting to.
But who knows, perhaps this could be her stunning return.
If not, our hearts will learn to go on.
Lady Gaga
If anyone could add to the theatrics of an Olympic opening ceremony taking place on the Seine, it would be Lady Gaga.
She isn't French, but the pop star was spotted in town this week.
Fans on the internet have been speculating since the Olympic Committee shared a video teasing a mystery performer seen wearing a chrome bodysuit, wrapped in an Olympic flag.
They believe it's reminiscent of her Chromatica album era.
For particularly eagle-eyed (or delusional) internet sleuths, the mere sight of a piano near where the ceremony will take place has been enough to send them into a frenzy.
If you need convincing she is up to the job, read up on her show-stopping performance at the 2017 Superbowl half-time show.
It wouldn't be the first time a US singer has popped up in a Olympic ceremony they aren't local to.
But Gaga is booked and busy enough.
The trailer to her new film Joker: Folie a Deux has just dropped and she's busy recording her seventh album.
She could very well be in Paris to promote her new film.
It's also possible that she's just rich and famous and enjoying a European summer like every other celebrity at the moment.
Aya Nakamura
Now onto an actual French choice.
Earlier this year, President Emmanuel Macron threw his support behind French-Malian R&B star Aya Nakamura as a choice for the opening ceremony.
She is currently the most-listened to French-speaking singer in the world.
But Nakamura hasn't confirmed the rumour.
The BBC is reporting she would sing a song in the Chanson style by iconic French singer Edith Piaf.
The speculation has sparked a row on identity and language among the French.
An award-winning artist, Nakamura immigrated to France as a child.
The suggestion she would open the Olympics led to backlash by far-right politicians suggesting she wasn't French enough to perform and criticising her pronunciation of French words.
This triggered an investigation by the Paris prosecutor into alleged racist abuse against the artist brought forward by anti-racism advocacy group LICRA.
In April, Mr Macron said "she speaks to a good number of our fellow citizens and I think she is absolutely in her rightful place in an opening or closing ceremony", according to The Guardian.
Christine and the Queens
French singer-songwriter Christine and the Queens has also been floated as a possibility due to his links to the Games.
Last year, he played at an event promoting the Olympic Games, performing his song Full of Life.
Daft Punk
Sorry, but hopes for the French electronic music duo to reunite for the opening ceremony have already been dashed.
Speculation began to surface after an interview with the director of the opening ceremony Thomas Jolly in a French publication who alluded to Daft Punk playing in the ceremony.
However, following the publication of the interview, Jolly posted an update on X that the group declined to play.
"My comments were confusing and generated a lot of expectations," he wrote.
"After discussing a possible presence at the ceremony, the group's decision is not to participate."
David Guetta
Speaking of French DJs, David Guetta has expressed his disappointment about not being asked to perform.
Chalking up more than 10 million album sales and 14 billion streams globally was not enough for the producer to secure a spot at the ceremony.
And he made it known that he was disappointed.
In April when asked by Agence France-Presse why he was not performing he said he "didn't understand at all".
"I am still between the fourth and 15th most listened to artist in the world," he said.
What we do know about the opening ceremony
This is the first time in Olympic history the opening ceremony will be performed outside of the stadium.
Around 6,000 to 7,000 athletes are set to sail down the river Seine on 85 barges and boats, with around 3,000 dancers, singers and entertainers positioned on the banks, bridges and nearby monuments.
Up to 500,000 people set to watch in person from stands, on the river banks and the overlooking apartments.
Here's a look at the concept art of the opening ceremony parade:
Jolly said the main theme would be "love" and the performances would celebrate diversity.
"We are a city of love, and also because in the world there are a lot of fractures," he explained.
"We want to say, we are all living together in the same city, the same country, the same continents and the same planet."
Jolly's plans have been criticised by some conservatives in France, but he said his work would be a celebration of cultural, linguistic, religious and sexual diversity.
Whoever performs, it's likely to be memorable.
Where can I watch the opening ceremony in Australia?
The Olympics will be broadcast free-to-air on Channel 9 and 9Gem.
There will also be more than 40 live channels dedicated to the Olympics on 9Now.
ABC Sport will also be live blogging Olympic events as they unfold.
And in Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra, Darwin, Gold Coast and regional markets across the country, listeners can hear live daily Olympics coverage across ABC Radio and DAB+.
The ABC coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games is brought to you in conjunction with the Nine Network.
What time is the Olympic Games opening ceremony?
Very early on Saturday morning.
The ceremony is scheduled to start 8.24pm in Paris on July 26, which, for Australia, actually falls on the following day — Saturday, July 27.
Here's the specific time it will start for each region, according to broadcaster Channel 9:
- 2.24am AWST: Western Australia
- 3.54am ACST: Northern Territory and South Australia
- 4.24am AEST: Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria