2026 Winter Olympics: Italy set for star-studded opening ceremony

Italy prepares for a spectacular 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, showcasing harmony and honoring its rich cultural heritage.

The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics officially open with a star-studded opening ceremony at the San Siro Stadium on Friday (February 6, 2026).

The most geographically dispersed Games in history will start in Italy’s economic capital at 1900 GMT with a three-hour extravaganza that takes in the three other sites spread across the Alps and the Dolomites.

While details of the ceremony remain secret, the theme of harmony runs through it, threading together different elements from the financial hub of Milan to the snow-capped mountains of Cortina d’Ampezzo.

And for the first time the 2,900 athletes will parade in the venues closest to where they will compete, in a bid to minimise travel. They will be in Cortina, Livigno and Predazzo.

United States' Oliver Martin competes in men's snowboard big air qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, on February 5, 2026 | Photo Credit: AP

The opening ceremony is expected to draw a global audience of hundreds of millions and offers “a unique platform to convey positive messages, not divisive ones,” creative director Marco Balich promised.