STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The 2026 Winter Olympics begins Friday, Feb. 6, with the opening ceremony in Milan, Italy, kicking off competitions across a variety of sports.
The event will be held at San Siro Stadium, officially known as Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, in Milan. It’s the third time the Winter Olympics will be held in Italy.
The International Olympic Committee said the purpose of the ceremony is “to take the Olympic spirit beyond the stadium, engaging the public and athletes.”
The Olympics’ long-standing tradition marks the official start of the competitions and signifies unity, peace and athletic excellence.
Opening ceremony details
The event will feature a “spectacular show” inside the stadium named after football legend Giuseppe Meazza. Milan and other Olympic venues will “come alive with satellite events and symbolic moments.”
The ceremony will include Olympic traditions, such as the lighting of the cauldron to symbolize unity, brotherhood among nations and the global athletic spirit.
For the first time, there will be two cauldrons: one in Milan at the Arco della Pace and another in Cortina d’Ampezzo in Piazza Dibona.
The celebration will also feature several performances, including five-time Grammy Award winner Mariah Carey, Golden Globe winner Laura Pausini and famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.
NBC will host coverage of the opening ceremony.
Three-time Olympic snowboarding champion Shaun White will join the coverage for the Parade of Nations, and NBC Olympics primetime host Mike Tirico will contribute from northern California.
While the opening ceremony is Feb. 6, some competitions at the 2026 Winter Olympics begin Feb. 4 and run through Feb. 22.
For sports fans interested in watching the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Milano-Cortina, here are the viewing details.
How to watch
Viewers can tune in to the three-hour opening ceremony on Friday, Feb. 6, at 2 p.m. on NBC or streaming on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com. Peacock will also stream all Winter Olympic events live.
Later that day, fans can tune in to an enhanced primetime encore from 8 to 11 p.m.
As part of the presentation, NBC New York noted, the opening ceremony will re-air on NBC and Peacock, featuring a greater focus on Team USA athletes, along with the ceremony’s performances, Parade of Nations and other highlights.
For those without cable or Peacock, the ceremony is also available live on NBC through streaming services such as YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream and Hulu + Live TV.