What is the Euro 2016 Opening Ceremony?
The Euro’s opening ceremony is the blue ribbon event you’ve seen before every major international sports tournament. Numerous global superstars will be joining hands to perform for about 150 million people from around the world. It’s a real showcase of the local art, culture and dance all melded together to provide you some real eye-candy before the leg-breaking tackles & heart-breaking penalty misses. You don’t want to miss it if you’re going to watch over 4,500 minutes of men from different nations going at each other’s throats for the next 30 days!
Who will perform at the opening ceremony? This time, French DJ David Guetta (who needs no introduction) will be breaking out his Euro 2016 special release - “This One’s For You”. You’re obviously not going to want to miss it, but that’s not all.
Over 800 dancers, acrobats & volunteers from 63 countries are going to make a special appearance. For the French, it will be a great opportunity to showcase their country’s heritage & culture.
To that end, 150 professional dancers will be performing the traditional French ‘Can-can’. If you’ve never seen it, it’s basically a whirlwind of bicycle kicks, fantastic volleys and over-the-top celebrations to the tune of some of France’s finest music. Although Benzema won’t be among the dancers, it’s still quite fitting for a football tournament, don’t you think?
If that doesn’t tickle your bone, David Guetta has summoned Will.I.Am, Enrique Iglesias and Hungarian classical pianist Adam Gyorgy (among others) to spice up the night. Ariana Grande and Christophe Mae will also be in attendance, alongside DJ Karmatronic & Swedish singer Zara Larsson.
To wrap up the eloquent ceremony, the French National Guard and the Choir School of Radio France will perform their national anthem under a red, white and blue sky courtesy of the French Air Force. Where and at what time will it be held?
The opening ceremony will start by 11:30pm IST at the Stade De France, the French national stadium where the Euro 2016 opener & final will be held. It’s an architectural marvel, and over 80,000 people will be sat there to watch it. In the UK it will begin by 7:30pm and around 2:30pm in the USA.
What channel can I watch it on?
In India, Sony Six & Sony ESPN (as well as their HD channels) will be covering the Euro finals exclusively. In the UK, ITV & Sky Sports will be running it. In the US, ESPN and Fox will also give exclusive coverage to this ceremony.
Can I watch the opening ceremony online?
As with the UEFA Champions League & Europa League finals, the UEFA official Youtube channel will be broadcasting everything live. So, you don’t need to worry as it’s free! Here at Sportskeeda, we’ll be providing you with live minute-by-minute updates so you can’t possibly miss a thing!
What’s after that?
After that? Didier Deschamps will take to the touchline as Paul Pogba and co. take on the Romanian national squad. That’s when all the pleasantries and the ‘Bienvenu a la France’ (Welcome to France) smiles will end; when the serious stuff begins. The real action will kick-off by 12:30am (IST), and we know you won’t be missing that!
