The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will officially get underway with the Opening Ceremony at San Siro Stadium on Friday, February 6 (though some Olympic events will begin earlier than that).
Befitting of an Olympics with joint host cities, though the official Opening Ceremony will be held in Milan, there will be two Olympic cauldrons—one at the Arco della Pace in Milan and the other at Piazza Dibona in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
There will also be widespread cultural celebrations throughout Northern Italy as a nod to the most geographically widespread Olympics of all time.
According to the artistic team behind the Opening Ceremony, the theme is “Armonia.” Italian creative director Marco Balich, who has been involved in producing 16 Olympic ceremonies in all, including Torino 2006, will oversee the Opening Ceremony in Milan Cortina.
Everything you need to know about the Opening Ceremony, including tune-in information, hosts, performers and how to buy tickets, can be found below.
2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony at a Glance
- Date: Friday, February 6
- Venue: San Siro Stadium
- TV channels: NBC
- Streaming: Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, NBC app, NBC Sports app
How to Watch the Opening Ceremony
In the U.S., the Opening Ceremony will be broadcast live on NBC and Peacock at 2:00 p.m. ET. It will run approximately three hours.
A primetime encore presentation of the event will air on NBC at 8 p.m. ET and can also be streamed on Peacock.
2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony Hosts
Savannah Guthrie of the Today show will cohost the ceremony with NBC Sports’ Terry Gannon.
Three-time Olympic gold medal winner Shaun White will also provide commentary in the broadcast booth for the Parade of Nations.
Mike Tirico, head of NBC’s primetime Olympics coverage, will provide remote coverage of the Opening Ceremony from California.
2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony Performers
In all, the celebration will feature more than 500 musicians, more than 1,400 costumes and more than 1,000 stage elements.
Performers include global superstar Mariah Carey, Italian icon Andrea Bocelli and actress Sabrina Impacciatore.
Other confirmed performers include Laura Pausini, Pierfrancesco Favino, Ghali, Cecilia Bartoli, Lang Lang and Matilda De Angelis.
How to Buy Opening Ceremony Tickets
Fans can purchase tickets to watch the Opening Ceremony in person on the Milano Cortina official ticketing website.
General admission tickets range from approximately $300 to $2,400. Hospitality packages from Milano Cortina 2026 hospitality partner On Location range from approximately $1,000 to $10,600 and include a ticket to the ceremony itself as well as exclusive hospitality suite access.
