As we near the end of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, one of the most underrated events still to come is the Closing Ceremony. They can be melancholy, for sure. If you love the Olympics, there is a part of you that doesn’t quite want to see them end. But an event on the level of the Summer Games needs an exclamation point, and I love that past Closing Ceremonies have included performances from artists of the host countries intercut with the smiling, relieved faces of the athletes we have thrilled to and cheered on the past two weeks.
So, while the Games are still going on, here is a little feature to prep you for the inevitable end. My picks for the Top 5 Summer Olympic Closing Ceremonies:
Daniel McBride
1. The 2012 London Olympics
Audiences from around the globe witnessed some of the best British pop culture at the time. The most memorable highlight? The long-anticipated reunion of the Spice Girls, the all-female band that dominated British pop in the 1990s. They re-assembled to sing some their biggest hits, most notably “Wannabe.” I also fondly remember Queen guitarist Brian May getting the crowd pumped with “We Will Rock You.”
Daniel McBride, Senior Director of Ticketing & Experiences for the United States Golf Association (USGA), recalls, “The closing ceremonies from the 2012 London Olympics stand out to me, as it was a celebration of music and culture with performances from Ed Sheeran to the Spice Girls to Oasis. Also, I enjoyed the passing of the torch — figuratively and literally — from the current host to the next host city. As a soccer fan, having Pele be the one to receive the symbolic transfer from London to Rio really resonated.”
2. The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics
For its spectacular 2016 closing ceremony, host country Brazil threw perhaps the biggest carnival party ever, including the legendary “Cidade Maravilhosa” carnival march that best represents Rio’s national anthem. But one moment truly stands out from the rest. During the symbolic handover to the next host city, Tokyo, audiences witnessed Japan’s famous anime and video games characters come to life in a video montage. As the video ended, Mario’s iconic green tunnel emerged from beneath the stage. And from there, the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appeared to accept the hand-off. Check it out here.
3. The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics
We re-interviewed two of the big players who worked ticketing for their fond memories of the LA Olympics’ Closing Ceremony. Both mentioned Lionel Richie’s nearly 10-minute performance of his hit “All Night Long” as their personal highlight. And it was certainly mine, looking back as a 13-year-old kid obsessed with the Top 40 music of the time.
Bob Graziano, currently Vice Chair at JPMorgan Chase, worked those 1984 LA Games as a Ticket Manager. He says, “Lionel Ritchie singing ‘All Night Long’ and the celebration that he sparked amongst the athletes and the spectators? It was all a great culmination of two weeks of competition and many years of planning and preparation!”
Debra Kay Duncan, former Director of Ticketing for the Los Angeles Dodgers who has been involved in a dozen Olympic Games since 1984, adds, “Our Games had some very big challenges with potentially catastrophic outcomes. Once we hit Closing Ceremonies, it was truly an historic celebration. I was on a panel recently, and they asked if Closing Ceremonies were a huge relief. And to be honest, I told them, ‘Actually, no!’ We were sad it was over because it was so special at the time. We never wanted it to end.”
4. The 2000 Sydney Olympics
Joan Sullivan
Only about 2.4 billion people watched Sydney’s Olympic Closing Ceremony, as it provided a showcase to the finest pop culture from the Land Down Under. Everyone from Paul Hogan as Crocodile Dundee to the late Australian King of Country Music Slim Dusty singing “Waltzing Matilda” showed up. But the moment most people remember was pop star Kylie Minogue’s live version of the classic ABBA hit, “Dancing Queen.” The Closing Ceremony also boasted one of the biggest fireworks displays I’ve ever seen — a 25-minute show that began from the Olympic Park and stretched all the way across to the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Joan Sullivan, Executive Assistant to the EVP Operations & GM for Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, was there working ticket operations but not in attendance at the Closing. She actually has no regrets: “Twenty-four years ago, I gave my Closing Ceremony tickets to one of the local staff. The sponsor program's VIPs were housed on the Crystal Harmony cruise ship in Sydney Harbour. We watched the Closing on TV and saw great fireworks from the deck of the cruise ship … accompanied by several bottles of good Tasmanian wine!”
5. The 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics
OK, this is a sentimental choice for sure. I remember Stevie Wonder singing a beautiful rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine” to honor the victims of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing. I also recall the joy that filled the stadium during a musical finale that featured everyone from Gloria Estefan and Faith Hill to B.B. King and Little Richard. It was also the Olympics in which perhaps the most INTIX members worked ticketing. So, I’ll let them tell their memories of the Closing Ceremony:
Jennifer Staats Moore, Associate Director of Georgia State University’s Rialto Center for the Arts, says, “The Closing Ceremony for Atlanta 1996 was bittersweet, especially as we all knew it would be the last time many of us saw each other before going off in separate directions. Most of the core ACOG ticketing team was there, along with many of the ticketing professionals brought in for games time. Often called ‘The Greatest Ticketing Team Ever Assembled,’ we set a record for selling over 8.3 million tickets and loved every minute of it!”
Laura Zehe, Senior Director of Operations for True Tickets, states, “The Closing Ceremonies were truly unforgettable. It was amazing to witness the culmination of the past few months of hard work and creativity. I remember the dazzling lights, the vibrant bicycles, the lively bands, and the awe-inspiring torch that symbolized the spirit of the Games. The experience was made even more special by the lasting friendships we forged, which have endured for decades.”
And finally, there is Jon Secunda, Director of Box Office Operations for the University of Nebraska Omaha’s Baxter Arena. “To the best of my recollection,” he says, “I went home before the Closing Ceremony because the tennis competition had finished up some days beforehand. I seem to recall sitting at home and watching it with my official Olympic straw hat decked out with its many pins — yes, I was a pin trader at the Games — at my side, wishing I was still there. To this day, that hat is one of my most prized ticketing memorabilia possessions!”
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