In the presence of the Obelisk and in front of around 65,000 spectators in temporary stands set up in the famous Place de la Concorde in the centre of Paris, the Opening Ceremony of the 17th Summer Paralympic Games will be directed by Thomas Jolly, the same artistic director responsible for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic Games.

For about three hours, the Paralympic event will emulate the Olympic ceremony by not being held in a traditional stadium, unlike the Closing Ceremony at the Stade de France. 

It won't take place on the Seine with a parade of boats, and the space will be more limited, but the organisers are adamant that it will still be a spectacular event, both for those in attendance and for the millions who will undoubtedly watch it on television and social media.

In this more restricted setting, four stages will be set up on the Place de la Concorde to host "never-before-seen performances" and a show that will focus heavily on the human body.

The event will bring together "history and its paradoxes" in a place "where the heads of our kings were cut off", but which is also at the end of "the most beautiful avenue in the world", as Parisians often describe the Champs-Élysées.

In the same place where New Year's celebrations and French sporting triumphs are celebrated, the opening ceremony of the Summer Paralympic Games, which have been held uninterruptedly since 1960, will take centre stage.

The lead choreographer for this ceremony is Alexander Ekman, a world-renowned figure with over 50 creations and collaborations with the Paris Opera Ballet and the Boston Ballet.

He is also known for his grandiose stage designs, such as flooding a stage with 6,000 litres of water for a performance of *Swan Lake* or his rain of green orbs from the ceiling of the Opéra Garnier in Paris.

Alexander Ekman has confirmed that the ceremony will be a "festive and political" event, in line with Thomas Jolly's vision, with dance serving as a strong message of inclusion. This is the first time the choreographer has worked with disabled dancers. "They are extraordinary. They are more capable than many non-disabled people, both mentally and physically," said the Swedish dancer and choreographer.

The parade will feature a large number of athletes, with around 4,400 from 182 delegations expected to march along the Champs-Élysées, from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde, on an avenue specially beautified and cleaned for the Olympic Games.

No major artists have yet been confirmed, but the organising team promises "a journey through our musical repertoire".The music will once again be composed by Victor Le Masne, who wrote the Olympic anthem, and the costumes will be supervised by Daphné Bürki.

The Olympic Cauldron will once again be lit and will rise into the Paris sky every night, as it did during the two weeks of the Olympic Games.

The Paralympic Closing Ceremony will take place on 8 September at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, a town to the north of the capital.

Audio description, adapted buses, what else? Details of the accessibility features planned for the opening ceremony have not yet been revealed.

Seating arrangements have been made for people with disabilities, particularly those in wheelchairs and their companions.

Slightly less than half the number planned for the Olympic Games, but still a significant number - around 15,000 law enforcement personnel will be involved in theParalympic Opening Ceremony to cover the perimeter of the Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin emphasised the need to secure these iconic areas and other nearby points such as the Tuileries Gardens to prevent any risk of an attack on the event and to replicate the security success of a heavily fortified Paris, rarely seen in such a state.