Boat owners along Seine River offered big money for opening ceremony rental
Jul 26, 2024, 6:42 PM | Updated: Jul 29, 2024, 10:05 am
PARIS — With the opening ceremony floating down the Seine River, it will pass right by many people who can watch from their front porches. Especially the boat owners who live on the water.
This spot may be the hottest ticket in the world right now, as people have been offering money to boat owners for the chance to watch the opening ceremony from their front-row seats.
The @Paris2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony has begun! Photographer @rayoboone and I made it onto a houseboat along the Seine River for the big show. Live coverage now on @KSL5TV and our digital platforms. pic.twitter.com/JbIbC6cMz4
— Alex Cabrero (@KSL_AlexCabrero) July 26, 2024
One spot with 50 boats moored at a port along the Seine River has a 15-year-long waiting list to live there. But once the opening ceremony was announced, no one was moving.
It’s why Oswald Perrin and his kids raised the French flag.
“It is extremely important for us,” Perrin said.
They have pride in their country, especially with the Olympics coming to them. Literally.
The Flame is here! Are you ready for this 6km celebration of sport along the iconic River Seine? 🌉
Are you ready for the Olympic Games Paris 2024? 🙌#Paris2024 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/sfHRiqcwIS
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 26, 2024
“We are very excited,” Perrin said.
The Perrin’s live in their boat along the Seine River in Paris, which has been Oswald Perrin’s dream since he was a kid.
“It’s one of the best places in the world. We have everything here,” he told KSL.
He never could have dreamt of having an Olympic opening ceremony, the parade of nations, floating by his back door.
“We had an offer to rent our boat for 200,000 a week,” Perrin said.
That’s 200,000 euros, almost $250,000, to rent out what just might be the best seat in town for the opening ceremony.
“That sounds crazy, and we look at each other, my wife Carolina and I, and we say, what we gonna do?”
His next-door neighbor, and several other boat owners along this port, had similar offers. The local government advised them not to accept rentals during the Olympics for security reasons.
“A lot of people here on the port thought they were going to make lots of money, yes,” James Wellings, a Parisian resident told KSL.
Even still, they were allowed to have a dozen friends with them, with pre-approval wristbands and security checks. This would be a tempting offer to sell, but in the end, the Perrins decided not to.
“We really prefer to have that for our family,” Perrin said.
They wanted this moment to be shared with close friends and loved ones, which money can’t buy.
“This is the one time in your life that you will have the Olympic Games right in front of your home,” Perrin said. “It is a unique opportunity and a unique chance for our kids.”
And with the opening ceremony wrapping up, it’s sure to be a moment they will never forget.
The Olympics have officially begun.
