An Exclusive Look Inside the Prelude to the Olympics

When you begin to scroll, rest assured that your eyes are not deceiving you. Indeed, a bevy of stars lit up Paris tonight night for a Prelude to the 2024 Olympic Games. LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault, Comcast NBCUniversal chairman and CEO Brian Roberts, Grammy-winner and Louis Vuitton men’s creative director Pharrell Williams, and Vogue‘s Anna Wintour welcomed an illustrious group of athletes, artists, and entertainers to Fondation Louis Vuitton on the eve of the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony.

In lieu of a red carpet, guests walked a three-lane track to a playlist of hip-hop hits. A few headed straight to the cocktail hour to nosh on crispy langoustines and green vegetable tartlets by Michelin-starred chef Jean Imbert; others, including David and Lauren Bush Lauren (dressed in head-to-toe Team USA regalia, of course) and tuxedo-clad NBA star Tyrese Haliburton joined a short queue for the Inside Out photo booth—created by French street artist and photographer JR to print poster-size black and white images.

While enjoying cocktails, guests had the opportunity to see four glistening medals up close: The Olympic gold, silver, and bronze ones Louis Vuitton designed for the 2024 Games, as well as Alexandre Arnault’s New York City Marathon medal, which he wore as an accessory for the night.

Co-hosted by Charlize Theron, Serena Williams, Rosalía, and Omar Sy, the game night-themed fête saw celebs flexing their skills on a massive foosball table (Cindy Bruna and Christian Louboutin were particularly focused), taking aim at archery targets dreamed up by KAWS, and practicing their jump shots with Tiffany blue basketballs. While LeBron James, Devin Booker, Angel Reese, and Jayson Tatum mostly opted for mingling over hoops, Jeremy Allen White channeled the will of an Olympian at the claw machine while Rosalía and Simon Porte Jacquemus served as enthusiastic cheerleaders.

The “medal worthy” dress code inspired Zendaya to opt for Louis Vuitton, Snoop Dogg to don a gilded snakeskin blazer, and Mike Amiri to accessorize with a bold brooch. And in a city known for both fashion and food, the latter was magnifique—following the aforementioned hors d’oeuvres were plates of sea bass, ravioli, and stuffed zucchini flowers.

If an award was being handed out to the guest most likely to make fellow attendees do a double-take, there was a clear winner: Dr. Jill Biden, dressed in a tailored white suit and graciously shaking hands.

“We appreciate your presence and we appreciate your energy—on this very special eve of what we all believe is going to be the most phenomenal Olympics,” Pharrell said to the crowd, before noting Comcast NBCUniversal’s charitable donation to the Olympic Refuge Foundation, which supports athletes on the IOC Refugee Olympic Team.

Next up? A surprise performance by Tyla, who sang hits “Water” and “Jump,” as well as her latest single “Thata.”

The wondrous scene was captured by photographers Marco Bahler, German Larkin, and Morgan O’Donovan. From the one-of-a-kind artist installations to Tyla’s entrancing set, take an exclusive look inside the Prelude ahead.