Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026 at San Siro

Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026: A Star-Studded Opening Night in Milano

The Opening Ceremony will take place at Milano’s San Siro Olympic Stadium on 6 February 2026, featuring world stars including Andrea Bocelli, Mariah Carey and Laura Pausini.

On 6 February 2026, the Opening Ceremony will light up Milano’s iconic San Siro stadium, setting the tone for these Winter Games with a celebration designed for the world stage. While Milano Cortina 2026 stretches across two host cities and the mountain venues of Northern Italy, the ceremony itself will unfold as one seamless, synchronised experience, with signature moments echoing through Predazzo, Livigno and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Tying it all together is “Armonia” – Italian for “harmony” – a theme that blends landscape, community and culture into one distinctly Italian opening night.

The Opening Ceremony is conceived as a journey through art and innovation, tradition and future, connecting Italian design, music and artistry from Leonardo da Vinci and the great inventors to the next generation of talent. The first names announced already signal a night of major performances and high-profile appearances. World-renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli returns to the Olympic stage, twenty years after his celebrated performance at the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Turin 2006. He is joined by global pop icon Mariah Carey and Italian superstar Laura Pausini, whose career spans early triumph at the Sanremo Music Festival to becoming the first Italian woman to win a Grammy. Additional world stars are expected to be announced.

Italian cinema and contemporary culture will also take the spotlight, with actor and producer Pierfrancesco Favino lending his interpretation of Italian spirit and identity, alongside violinist Giovanni Zanon. Actress Sabrina Impacciatore, internationally recognised for her role in HBO’s The White Lotus, will also appear on stage. Behind the scenes, an acclaimed creative team is shaping the production. Andrea Farri will serve as musical director, overseeing the ceremony’s full musical arc. Costume designer Massimo Cantini Parrini brings award-winning craftsmanship to the looks, while set designer Paolo Fantin will craft the visual world of the show. A tribute to the late Giorgio Armani will be included as part of the Ceremony’s celebration of Italian style and legacy.

Orchestrating the spectacle is Balich Wonder Studio, the production company helmed by the Milanese Marco Balich, who has been in charge of no less than sixteen Olympic ceremonies. Under him, four acclaimed creative directors join the team; Damiano Michieletto, one of Europe’s most prominent opera and theatre directors, Simone Ferrari, whose work spans theatre, live shows, television, concerts and fashion events, Lida Castelli, known for her work with fashion houses and cultural institutions as well as being the first woman to conceive an Olympic Ceremony with the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Closing and Lulu Helbaeck who works at the intersection of performance, technology, pop music and theatrical experimentation.

A night of music, spectacle, and Italian elegance, it promises to unite the world in a shared sense of wonder as the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina begin.

The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will take place from 6 to 22 February 2026. Tickets are available now.

Website:  https://go.evvnt.com/3443811-2?pid=11710

Time:  20:00 -  23:00