LA28 organizers split Opening Ceremony across two stadiums in Inglewood and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum; first-ever dual-venue opening.

From 1984 to 2028: How Los Angeles is reinventing the Olympic opening ceremony

For the first time, a host city will split its Opening Ceremony across two stadiums – and it has handed the show to Hollywood.

The Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games LA28 will happen in two places at once.

On 14 July 2028, the Games will open across two venues – 2028 Stadium in Inglewood and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. No host city has staged an Opening Ceremony in two stadiums at the same time before.

The bigger change is who is staging it.

LA28 has handed its ceremonies to Hollywood – Peter Rice , who spent decades at 20 th Century Fox and, later, Disney, now serving as Head of Ceremonies and Content; Scott Givens , executive producer for production; and Ben Winston , the executive producer and creative director. Winston is no stranger the Olympic Games, having worked on the Paris 2024 closing handover that dropped Tom Cruise off the Stade de France roof.

“There is no event of this scale in the world,” 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.”

For Winston, the draw is the city itself.

“Los Angeles, the home of storytelling, offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine what these Ceremonies can be,” Winston said.

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Los Angeles has reimagined it once already.

On 28 July 1984, a man in a rocket pack lifted off from the Coliseum, cleared more than 90,000 people and landed on the track.

It was the beginning of an Olympic spectacle that included eighty-four grand pianos rolled out for Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,’ the crowd flipping cards into the flags of every competing nation, and Gina Hemphill, Jesse Owens’ granddaughter, carrying the torch to 1960 decathlon champion Rafer Johnson, who lit the cauldron.

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 venues selected for the 2028 opening and closing ceremonies will highlight Los Angeles’ rich sporting history and cutting-edge future,” LA28 chairperson Casey Wasserman said .

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.

14 - 30 July 2028

LA 2028 | Olympic Games | USA