The new favorite tourist attraction during the Paris Games, the Olympic Cauldron, has drawn thousands of visitors who want to witness the burning balloon hover above the host city. One spectator says: "This is the Paris we love: the romantic Paris you read about in books. We're dreaming, it's too beautiful!"

Paris

The 2024 Summer Olympics are underway in Paris, with competition lasting until mid-August.

Paris Olympics

The Olympic cauldron, a prominent feature of the Paris Games, has become the new favorite attraction for visitors to the French capital. Each evening at the Tuileries Gardens, crowds gather to witness the cauldron, which is suspended from a large balloon floating over 60 meters high. The cauldron’s flame is created using LED spotlights and water micro-droplets, producing a brilliant visual effect.

Preparations for the cauldron’s takeoff begin as the sun sets, with the ropes holding it in place gradually released. Nearby, the real Olympic flame sits in a lantern, having traveled from Greece through France. Visitors must make reservations to approach the cauldron during the day due to its popularity. 

Many hope the cauldron will remain as a permanent monument in Paris, though no decision has been made. Its visual appeal has made it a social media sensation and inspired artists to capture its beauty. The cauldron will continue to be displayed in the Tuileries Gardens throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games.



Olympic cauldron becomes new favorite for Paris visitors

It's become a new nightly ritual in the French capital. At sunset in Paris, thousands gather at the Tuileries Gardens to see the Olympic cauldron take to the skies. This is the Paris we love, the romantic Paris we read about in books. It's like we're dreaming, it's too beautiful. The Olympic cauldron is tethered to an enormous balloon which floats over 60 metres high. Preparations for take-off begin around 8.30pm when the ropes holding it in place are gradually released. The ring of fire is as vibrant as an inferno, yet made of just water and light. It works by having powerful LED spotlights and small diffusers that project water. So micro droplets of water suspended with the effect of light and ventilation creates this new generation flame. Some metres away sits the real Olympic flame in a lantern, having travelled from Greece to all across France in recent months. The Olympic cauldron has become one of the hottest tickets at the 2024 Games, even requiring reservations to get close to it in the daytime. Both tourists and the French public want the cauldron to be kept as a permanent city monument, but no decision has yet been taken. Yes, so we can remember it and add to French heritage. It's also become a social media phenomenon by those keen to capture its beauty. But not just on photo, but also on canvas, according to this painter. It's Paris, the city of lights. And this is another light for the city. It glows, creates reflections and lights up the city. It's brilliant. The cauldron will remain in the Tuileries Gardens until the end of the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer, but there's no doubt it's won hearts and made its mark on the Paris skyline.

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