The action-packed 2026 Winter Olympic Games are almost upon us, promising 17 days of world class competition across 16 disciplines of sports. That is, once they've got the jam-packed opening ceremony out of the way.
With tens of millions of viewers around the world and close to 100,000 fans expected across the two locations for the Winter Olympics, the opening ceremony's organizers in Italy are under a lot of pressure to both celebrate their country's heritage and entertain the crowds.
But creating a two-and-a-half hour event that both speaks to Italy's long history and cultural impact, while being intelligible to a global audience or sports fans, is not an easy task.
Speaking before the 2026 Winter Olympics kick off, the games' Emmy-winning creative lead, Marco Balich, shared some insight into what fans can expect from this year's ceremony - including a 'courageous' but hard to understand performance from Mariah Carey.
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When are the 2026 Winter Olympics?
The biggest event in the winter sports calendar will kick off on Friday, February 6, when the opening ceremony will mark the beginning of the 25th winter games. This ceremony will begin at 8pm local time, or 2pm EST, and last close to three hours.
However, there will be some sporting events in the days preceding to pack in the necessary rounds for certain competitions. This includes curling, which will become the first event of the four-yearly competition on Wednesday, February 4.
Where the Winter Olympics are being held
This year's Winter Olympics are being held across two main locations in northern Italy: Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, a retreat in the Italian Alps that previously hosted the winter games in 1956.
Cortina will host the more mountainous disciplines, with curling, luge, bobsleigh and skeleton races taking place on the steep inclines in the surrounding areas. In Milan, viewers can expect the majority of skating and ice hockey events.
What is special about the Winter Olympics' opening ceremony?
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Uniquely, this year's opening ceremony will take place simultaneously across the Winter Olympics' two main locations. This means that coverage will frequently alternate between Milan's San Siro Stadium and a specially constructed stage in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
The highly choreographed ceremony with feature the hard work of over 2,000 volunteers, 1,300 of which will be taking part in the displays, dances, and artistic performances that creative lead Marco Balich has said will reflect the theme of armonia (harmony) and his country's massive impact on international design.
These themes will bleed into each other and most aspects of the ceremony, with the creative lead adding: "Harmony means transforming our values into images, sounds and shared emotions. It is a journey inside the colors of Italy, but it also speaks to the whole world."
While Balich did not want to give away too much of the event's proceedings, speaking at a press conference, he did say the ceremony would celebrate Italian geniuses like Leonardo Da Vinci, with a special tribute for legendary designer Giorgio Armani who died in September.
What has been announced for the Winter Olympics opening ceremony?
A big moment for international audiences will be when superstar Mariah Carey takes to the stage, though organizers have said she has made the 'courageous' decision to sing a 'very well known song' in its original Italian. So, for those Carey fans who don't speak the language, it might be hard to follow what words she will no doubt be belting out.
Another massive name to watch out for is, of course, world-famous tenor Andrea Bocelli, whose familiar operatics will form another part of the action-packed event. This year's games will mark his return to the Olympic stage, after performing at Turin's opening ceremony in 2006.
Alongside these two familiar names will be a variety of singers, stars, and people well-known inside of Italy, but less so for an international audience.
Will there be any events outside the Winter Olympics opening ceremony?
But for anyone who does not manage to get a ticket for the 75,000 capacity stadium in Milan, and for people watching at home, there will be one part of the ceremony that Olympics fans will be able to enjoy throughout the 17 days of the games.
That's because, unlike previous years, the olympic flame will be available to view 24/7 across both locations.
Organizers have had an intricate metal 'cauldron' designed which unravels to reveal the flame in a special performance every hour, so that even those outside the games can enjoy the $5 billion spectacle of the Winter Olympics.
Topics: Mariah Carey, Olympics, Sport, World News
William Morgan