The Paris Olympics’ riverfront opening ceremony route along the Seine probably had some Angelenos wondering if Los Angeles would alter its own plans for 2028 and try something equally inventive. Alas, you’ll have to keep dreaming as the city’s Olympic organizers have formally unveiled their plans—and they seemingly don’t involve a parade of athletes on the 110-105 interchange à la La La Land.
As expected, LA28 announced on Thursday that the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium will share hosting duties for the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
How exactly they’ll divide up the blockbuster event remains to be seen. LA28 says that both locations will “feature artistic elements.” But we’ll have to wait for “specific activities to be identified” further on in the development process—inevitably, only one will be able to actually hoist the Olympic flag. (For what it’s worth, L.A. mayor Karen Bass referred to the Coliseum as the “heartbeat” of the Olympics during a press conference on Thursday.)
In a bid book from 2017, organizers proposed a “Hollywood-produced program” of live music at the Coliseum; the Olympic torch would then leave that stadium and head toward Inglewood, where SoFi would host the formal ceremonies, including the parade of nations and Olympic oath. But that information is roughly eight years old at this point, back when L.A. was initially bidding for the 2024 Olympics and SoFi was nothing more than a dirt field still under the temporary “L.A. Stadium” name—so it’s very possible that plans have changed since then.
Regardless, the Olympic opening ceremony will take place at both venues on July 14, 2028. Then the closing ceremony will take place solely at the Coliseum on July 30. The Paralympic opening ceremony will commence at SoFi Stadium on August 15, and then the closing ceremony will head over to the Coliseum on August 27.
The Coliseum will become the first venue to host three Olympic Games (after 1932 and 1984). And really, it’s no surprise the ceremonies (and track and field competitions) would return to the Exposition Park landmark (and home to the USC Trojans football team): With its classical peristyle and torch, the stadium exudes the Olympic spirit for most locals. It’s one of the most stories sports venues in the city, and the oldest stadium, too—it broke ground in late 1921, about a year ahead of the Rose Bowl.
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On the other hand, SoFi Stadium, home to the NFL’s Rams and Chargers, is the region’s newest stadium. It wasn’t officially announced until 2015, after work on L.A.’s Olympic bid was already well underway—but by the time the committee’s final bid document was compiled in 2017, the venue had been included as an opening ceremony cohost. In addition to the opening ceremony, “the Stadium” (the sponsorship-free name that LA28 uses in its official communications) will also construct a temporary pool to host swimming.
The ceremonies news follows a bunch of recent venue announcements for the Summer Games, including soccer at the Rose Bowl, beach volleyball in Long Beach and squash on the Universal Studios Backlot. You can scope out the full venue plan on the LA28 site.
Oh, and if you’re wondering about tickets? Us too. LA28 has yet to announce its ticketing plans, but if the timelines of previous Olympics are any indication, you’ll likely need to sit tight until early 2027.