Milan Cortina 2026 - Olympic Opening Ceremony
San Siro Stadium ignites the XXV Winter Olympic Games
About Olympic Opening Ceremony
San Siro Ignites the Games
The Opening Ceremony of the XXV Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games took place on February 6, 2026, at the San Siro Stadium in Milan (Municipality of Milan, Lombardy), renamed Milano San Siro Olympic Stadium for the occasion. Produced by Balich Wonder Studio, the ceremony officially opened the Games, which were held between Milan, Cortina, and the mountain resorts until February 22.
A Hymn to Harmony
The central theme was a hymn to Harmony, capable of intertwining Italian history, art, and culture in a show lasting about three and a half hours. World-renowned artists took turns on stage: Mariah Carey, pianist Lang Lang, actress Charlize Theron, Laura Pausini — who sang the Italian national anthem — and Andrea Bocelli, who performed Nessun Dorma as the Olympic flame reached the Arco della Pace. Actor Pierfrancesco Favino was also among the protagonists.
A Distributed Ceremony
For the first time in the history of the Games, the Opening Ceremony was distributed across multiple venues: in addition to Milan and Cortina, also Livigno and Predazzo, two of the locations that hosted the Olympic competitions. The climax was the lighting of two Olympic cauldrons: one at the Arco della Pace in Milan and the second in Piazza Dibona in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
A Global Event
Followed live by an estimated audience of around two billion people worldwide, the ceremony delivered one of the most symbolic moments of winter 2026 to Milan and Italy, with the Arco della Pace becoming the symbolic heart of the Games.
Olympic Opening Ceremony — edition 2026
The Milan Cortina 2026 Opening Ceremony was held on February 6, 2026, at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, produced by Balich Wonder Studio on the theme of Harmony. The show, lasting about three and a half hours, intertwined Italian history, art, and culture before a global audience of approximately two billion viewers. For the first time, the ceremony was distributed across multiple venues (Milan, Cortina, Livigno, Predazzo), with the lighting of two Olympic cauldrons: at the Arco della Pace in Milan and in Piazza Dibona in Cortina.
Programme Olympic Opening Ceremony 2026
The Show (February 6, 2026, San Siro Stadium)
- Theme: a hymn to Harmony, directed by Balich Wonder Studio
- Laura Pausini — Italian national anthem
- Andrea Bocelli — Nessun Dorma, with the flame towards the Arco della Pace
- Mariah Carey, Lang Lang, Charlize Theron, Pierfrancesco Favino
- Parade of delegations and cauldron lighting
The Venues
- Milan (San Siro and Arco della Pace)
- Cortina d'Ampezzo (Piazza Dibona)
- Livigno and Predazzo
Total duration approximately 3.5 hours; declaration of the opening of the Games and lighting of the two Olympic cauldrons.
Highlights Olympic Opening Ceremony 2026
Opening of the XXV Winter Olympic Games. Bocelli with Nessun Dorma, Pausini with the Anthem, and the lighting of the cauldron at the Arco della Pace.
Prices Olympic Opening Ceremony 2026
Practical information — Olympic Opening Ceremony
Where
San Siro Stadium (Milano San Siro Olympic Stadium), piazzale Angelo Moratti, 20151 Milan. Cauldron lighting at the Arco della Pace, in the city center.
When
February 6, 2026, in the evening.
How to get there
Metro: San Siro Stadio stop (M5, lilac line) for the stadium; Cadorna/Cairoli for the Arco della Pace.
Access
Ticketed event for the stadium; the celebrations at the Arco della Pace were open to the city's residents.
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Where does it take place — Olympic Opening Ceremony
Stadio San Siro (Milano San Siro Olympic Stadium)
Piazzale Angelo Moratti, 20151 Milano