Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics: A Spectacular Opening Ceremony
The Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games are set to kick off with a grand Opening Ceremony on Friday, promising to be one of the most elaborate in Olympic history. This year's ceremony will be unique as it will take place across multiple venues, including the Milano San Siro Olympic Stadium, Livigno, Predazzo, and Cortina. Athletes will parade at locations closest to their competition venues, following the alphabetical order of delegations in Italian.
Team USA will be represented by speed skater Erin Jackson and bobsledder Frank Del Duca as flag bearers during the Opening Ceremony. The ceremony will feature the lighting of two Olympic cauldrons, one in Milan at the Arco della Pace and one in Cortina d'Ampezzo at Piazza Dibona. These cauldrons, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's knots, symbolize the regional nature of the Games and will be lit simultaneously.
Grammy Award-winner Mariah Carey and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will headline the performances at the Opening Ceremony, along with actress Sabrina Impacciatore and pianist Lang Lang. NBC's live coverage of the event will be hosted by Mary Carillo and Terry Gannon, with commentary from Shaun White during the Parade of Nations. Snoop Dogg will be stationed in Cortina for interviews with the U.S. bobsledding team, while other reporters will cover the event from different locations.
Viewers can catch the live coverage of the Opening Ceremony on NBC and Peacock starting at 2 p.m. EST, with primetime coverage beginning at 8 p.m. EST. Don't miss this spectacular start to the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games!