Olympics Opening Ceremony 2016: Where and When to Watch Festivities

The opening ceremony tends to set the tone for the entire Olympic Games, and with the bar seemingly getting raised every four years, Brazil's kickoff celebration promises to be a must-watch event that viewers won't soon forget.

While Rio Olympic organizers have been under fire in recent months due to concerns about the city's preparedness to host such a massive undertaking, they have a golden opportunity to start on a positive note Friday night.

Since Brazil is touted as a country that knows how to throw a great party, the opening ceremony figures to be right up its alley.

Ahead of the official start of the 2016 Summer Olympics, here is everything you need to know about when and how to watch the opening ceremony.

Where: Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro

When: Friday, Aug. 5

Watch: NBC (one-hour tape delay begins at 8 p.m. ET)

Live Stream: Telegraph Sport (live stream begins at 7 p.m. ET)

Festivities to Watch

Lighting of the Olympic Cauldron

While a few events will take place prior to the opening ceremony, the Olympics don't truly feel as though they have begun until the Olympic torch is used to light the Olympic cauldron.

The Olympic cauldron represents the life of the Olympics as it remains lit until the closing ceremony. It is by far the most important symbol related to the Olympic Games, which is why there is naturally a great deal of anticipation leading up to it.

Lighting the cauldron is a huge honor, and it is unknown who will do so until the moment it occurs. Oftentimes it is done by a single athlete or group of athletes who have had a massive impact on the host nation's sporting history.

That trend was bucked during the 2012 London Olympics, however, as seven young, up-and-coming athletes did the honor.

Brazil could go in a similar direction, but the favorite to lead the way may very well be legendary soccer star Pele, who is widely regarded as the greatest player in the history of the sport and was a key figure in the 2012 closing ceremony in London.

Regardless of who is chosen for the cauldron lighting, it is a massive honor that will long be remembered in the annals of Olympic history.

Parade of Nations

At their very root, the Olympics are about celebrating the world's greatest athletes and giving them a worldwide platform to perform on. In much the same vein, the opening ceremony focuses largely on introducing them.

That is done through the parade of nations, which features all 207 participating countries walking together through Maracana Stadium with each nation choosing a flag bearer to hoist their colors for all to see.

Seeing so many elite athletes in one place is a sight to behold, as are the differing fashion choices from country to country. Every nation stands out due to their official uniforms, and Team USA is no exception with their classy, Ralph Lauren-designed threads, as seen in this photo courtesy of the U.S. Olympic Team on Twitter:

In addition to the clothing, the manner in which the nations are dispersed is a long-running tradition as well.

They take center stage in alphabetical order of the host nation's language with the exception of Greece going first due to the fact that it created the Olympics, and the host nation going last to close out the parade.

The entire parade will serve as a buildup toward Brazil's delegation entering the spotlight, and it promises to draw a massive ovation from the tremendous crowd in attendance.

Brazilian Traditions

One of the most entertaining parts of any Olympic opening ceremony is the manner in which the performances incorporate the culture of the host nation.

That is especially true for viewers from foreign nations since they may not be entirely familiar with the customs of a country like Brazil.

While many of the plans have been kept under wraps, NBCOlympics.com speculated that the ceremony could feature plenty of dancing as well as a colorful waterfall as a representation of Brazil's famous carnival celebration.

According to Reuters (h/t VOANews.com), however, opening ceremony executive producer Marco Balich revealed that the ceremony will be scaled back in relation to what viewers saw in recent Olympics: "This is not an opulent event given the situation in Brazil. ... It does not have the grandiosity of Beijing, the huge special effects of Athens, the eccentricity and technological skills of London. It is an analogue opening ceremony."

Expectations are still high for the ceremony due to the festive nature of Brazil, so there will be plenty of intrigue with regard to the question of whether Brazil's tradition and culture can trump a big-dollar operation in delivering an entertaining opening ceremony.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.