Following the Handover Ceremony in Paris, Tennis Champion Venus Williams will host Autodesk’s “Countdown to LA28” presented by Visit California,
LA28 revealed the all-star musical lineup for the LA28 Handover that will take place at the finale of the Paris 2024 Closing Ceremony on Aug. 11. Artists, including the Grammy and Academy Award-winning Billie Eilish, Grammy-winning Red Hot Chili Peppers and Snoop Dogg, Southern California music icon and correspondent for NBCUniversal at the Paris Olympics, will perform in the celebration. Grammy, Academy, and Emmy Award-winning artist H.E.R. will perform the U.S. national anthem live in Paris. The Closing Ceremony, including the LA28 Handover, will be presented live and in primetime on NBC and Peacock.
“This is the biggest moment in LA28 history to date, as the Olympic flag passes from Paris to LA,” said LA28 Chairperson and President Casey Wasserman. “We are thrilled to feature the very best of LA with local artists and are grateful to Billie, H.E.R., the Chili Peppers and Snoop for their collaboration on what will be an incredible show to a global audience that will give fans a taste of what’s to come in 2028.”
“The countdown to LA28 begins with the Paris Closing Ceremony,” said Molly Solomon, Executive Producer and President, NBC Olympics Programming. “As we conclude one of the most spectacular Games ever, Paris will hand over the Olympic flag to Los Angeles, who gets things started with a powerhouse lineup of musical superstars that will rock the world. But the party doesn’t stop there. After the Closing Ceremony, LA28 is inviting America to watch the world’s biggest beach party on NBC and Peacock.”
The blockbuster lineup of California-based music artists headlines the LA28 Handover celebration, in which LA28 will introduce itself to the world, bringing together LA’s culture of entertainment, diversity and creativity, with sport at the core. Team USA Olympians will join the program, including 2x Olympic medalist skateboarder Jagger Eaton, mountain biker Kate Courtney and track and field gold medalist Michael Johnson. Eaton, Courtney and Johnson have journeyed with LA28 through the Games, each with a custom-designed LA28 emblem released in July.
Set to feature additional surprise guests, the celebration is produced by Fulwell 73 Productions, under the creative direction of Emmy Award-winning executive producer and creator Ben Winston.
“The LA28 Handover promises to showcase the heartbeat of LA — which like the Olympics — is where people come from all over the world to pursue their dreams,” said Winston. “We hope to showcase a collection of Los Angeles stories – featuring the city’s people, creativity, music and of course sport, all wrapped up with a little Hollywood magic – to invite the world into the LA28 Games.”
In addition to the Closing Ceremony, later that evening, NBC and Peacock will feature Autodesk’s “Countdown to LA28” presented by Visit California.
The LA28 Countdown will be hosted by five-time Olympic medalist, tennis champion and entrepreneur Venus Williams and will feature extended musical performances, a sneak peek into the LA28 Games, plus behind-the-scenes footage of the LA28 Handover. Special guests include Olympic legends Carl Lewis and Sugar Ray Leonard, plus USA Water Polo Hall of Famer Brenda Villa and Paralympic swimmer and five-time medalist Rudy Garcia-Tolson.
The Closing Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Games will air live on Sun., Aug. 11 at 3 p.m. Eastern / 12 p.m. Pacific and in primetime at 7 p.m. ET/PT. Countdown to LA28 will air at the conclusion of the Closing Ceremony, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. All programs will be on NBC and Peacock.
