2026 Olympics closing ceremony live updates: How to watch, time, channel and more
This version of Winter Olympics 2026 Closing Ceremony Milan Team Usa Live Updates Rcna259626 - Sports and Recreation | NBC News Clone was adapted by NBC News Clone to help readers digest key facts more efficiently.
The Winter Games close far from Milan in Verona’s ancient Roman arena, where “Beauty in Action” will headline today's closing ceremony.
A fireworks display during the opening ceremony of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics at San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 6. Maja Hitij / Getty Images
It's 'time to say goodbye' to the Games. What to know:
- We're not in Milan anymore: The closing ceremony is taking place inside the Verona Arena, a Roman amphitheater that is an UNESCO World Heritage site. It's about a two-hour drive from Milan, and three hours from Cortina d’Ampezzo, where most of the Games took place.
- "Beauty in Action" is the theme of this year's closing. Italian ballet dancer Roberto Bolle will take center stage, with organizers listing him as a headliner of the event.
- Here come the flags: Team USA announced Friday that U.S. hockey star Hilary Knight and U.S. ice dancer Evan Bates will carry the flag at the closing ceremony tonight.
- How to watch: The ceremony kicks off at 2:30 p.m. ET. It will air live on NBC and stream on NBCOlympics.com and Peacock. For night owls, there will be a prime-time encore presentation at 9 p.m. ET.
- Catch up on the Olympics coverage: Stream every moment and every medal of the Games on Peacock. Read the latest updates and interact with our AI chatbot, OLI, on the Olympics hub. And catch up with the top athletes and day’s recaps by signing up for NBC News’ The Sports Desk newsletter.
What it will look like inside the Verona Olympic Arena tonight
Back in November, the Milan Cortina Instagram account teased a preview of what the Verona Olympic Arena will look like tonight for the closing ceremony.
"Inspired by the beauty of water, Beauty in Action blends tradition and innovation for a ceremony that will stay in everyone’s heart," the post read.
The nearly 2,000-year-old arena, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, will become “the heart of an extraordinary Olympic show.”
On its website, the Olympics elaborated further on the venue choice, calling it an "iconic amphitheatre" that "embodies Italy’s rich cultural heritage, providing an unparalleled setting to conclude an event of global significance. Here, the venue’s illustrious past meets the future of sport, showcasing Italian heritage as the stage for both the Olympic Closing Ceremony and the Paralympic Opening Ceremony."
Evan Bates and Madison Chock are 'ready to celebrate' tonight
Ahead of his Olympic finish as a flagbearer for Team USA, figure skater Evan Bates is reflecting on this year's Winter Games with wife and skating partner Madison Chock.
Bates posted a photo on Threads showing the couple in front of the Olympic rings in their Team USA uniforms. "Ready to celebrate the end of these incredible @olympics!," the caption read.
Today will mark the end of a bittersweet Games for the skating stars and real life couple, who were instrumental in winning gold for Team USA figure skating but missed out on the individual gold medal by just one-and-a-half points.
ICYMI: Here are some opening ceremony highlights
It feels like just yesterday we were watching the opening ceremony, much of which took place in Milan. Here's a look at how the Games kicked off.
Protesters hit the streets ahead of closing ceremony
In Verona, where the Olympics closing ceremony is slated to commence in less than an hour, hundreds of of people marched through the streets to protest against the Winter Games’ contributions to environmental problems and housing concerns.
“They built concrete monstrosities like the bobsleigh track, which will serve no purpose,” one protester, Francesca, told Reuters. “Public money has been wasted that could have been used for hydrogeological safety and housing plans.”
One of the banners in the crowd read: “Fewer Games for the few, more homes for everyone.”
La famiglia è tutto: The golden moms and dads of Team USA
What’s better than winning an Olympic medal? Getting a huge hug from your family after winning an Olympic medal. Team USA felt the love in Italy and showed why gold is great, but family is everything.
How much does it cost to attend the closing ceremony?
Even though we're thousands of miles away, curiosity got the best of us: Just how pricey is a ticket to the closing festivities?
According to the Milano Cortina 2026 ticketing website, as of Friday, tickets were going for as low as €3,190 and as high as €6,380, or $3,759.58 to $7,519.15.
These are of course resale prices, as some lucky attendees scored tickets months ago likely for a cheaper rate.
A list of all the expected performances tonight
- Ballet star Roberto Bolle
- Italian DJ Gabry Ponte, of Eiffel 65
- Italian singer Achille Lauro
- Italian actor and model Benedetta Porcaroli
Italy will hand off the Olympic flag to France
Ciao, Italia, bonjour, France!
Tonight, the Olympic flag will be handed off to France, which will host the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps.
Here's who Trump is sending to the ceremony in his presidential delegation
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced that Secretary of Education Linda McMahon would lead a delegation being sent to Italy to attend the closing ceremony. Here's the full delegation list, per a press release from the White House:
—Tilman J. Fertitta, U.S. ambassador to the Italian Republic and the Republic of San Marino, and his spouse, Lauren Fertitta.
—Kelly Loeffler, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration
—Meredith O’Rourke, a senior adviser to Trump
—Bob Book, chairman of Book Capital Enterprises LLC
—Neil Book, chairman, president and CRO of Jet Support Services Inc.
—Trish Duggan, founder of Imagine Museum
—Diane Hendricks, founder and consulting chairman of ABC Supply Co. Inc.
—Ryan Suter, 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympic medalist on the men’s U.S. hockey team
Italian singer Achille Lauro to perform
The artist, who was born in Verona, will take the stage tonight as part of the closing ceremony performances.
The Olympics website describes him as an "icon of contemporary pop culture, whose artistic expression transcends music alone, moving fluidly between fashion, performance art and symbolic imagery."
These Team USA Olympians proved age is just a number
There are five members of Team USA competing at the Olympics who are over 40. Two of them have won medals at the Milan Cortina games: 40-year-old Kaillie Humphries and 41-year old Elana Meyers Taylor. NBC News’ Molly Hunter reports.
Ballet star Roberto Bolle to take center stage
Olympics organizers have tapped Italian ballet dancer Roberto Bolle to headline its closing ceremony.
According to his bio page on the website for Milan's Teatro alla Scala, where Bolle trained, the dancer has been “étoile” since 2004, a title equivalent to principal dancer.
Bolle, who is 50, "has danced in the majors theatres worldwide and with the most prestigious companies, amongst which the American Ballet Theatre, the Ballet of the Opéra de Paris, the Bolshoi Ballet, the Mariinsky-Kirov Ballet and the Royal Ballet," according to Teatro alla Scala.
He's also no stranger to the Olympics or the Verona Arena. He danced during the opening ceremony of the Turin Winter Olympics in February 2006, and his “Roberto Bolle and Friends” annual gala takes place at the Arena.
On Wednesday, he posted a picture to his Instagram story of him stretching in what appears to be the arena.
Here's who will carry the flag for Team USA
Team USA announced Friday that U.S. hockey star Hilary Knight and U.S. ice dancer Evan Bates will carry the flag at the closing ceremony tonight.
Knight, 36, served as captain of the U.S. women’s team, which beat Canada 2-1 in overtime to win the gold medal. The athlete set an all-time U.S. goal-scoring record after she scored her 15th career Olympic goal late in the close game. In addition to making history, she also got engaged to speedskater Brittany Bowe at the Games.
When informed she'd be a flag bearer on the "TODAY" show on Friday, she responded, "Are you serious?"
Hilary Knight and Evan Bates. Getty Images
Bates, 36, won a gold medal in the figure skating team event and silver in ice dance. His skating parter, Madison Chock, who skated 15 seasons with Bates, delivered the news to her husband that he was selected a flag bearer.
He called the honor "humbling" in an interview with "TODAY," adding that there are "so many who are worthy of this honor. It’s hard to describe what it feels like."
He gave a shoutout to Knight, who he said he's done five Olympics with, saying they're "going to be bonded forever" after the experience.
Closing ceremony will acknowledge climate change
Alfredo Accatino, artistic director for the closing ceremony, told The Associated Press that this year's closing ceremony will not just celebrate athletic excellence. It will also highlight the changing planet.
“If the climate continues to change, there won’t be Winter Olympics anymore,” Accatino said.
The theme of this year's closing ceremony is 'Beauty in Action'
Like the opening ceremony, Italy appears ready to lean into its rich culture for the closing celebration.
It will be "a tribute to beauty in motion, in all its forms: present in sport, reflected in art, nourished by human connection, and expressed by the places that host the Games," the Olympics wrote on its website. "It celebrates the connection between mountains and plains, nature and cityscapes."
That means viewers can expect to see opera, music, dance, cinema, design and technology highlighted, "drawing inspiration from Italy’s cultural heritage and contemporary creativity," according to the Olympics website. The event "will reflect the Italian ability to transform aesthetics into emotion."
In a post on X, Christian Klaue, the corporate communications and public affairs director of the IOC, posted a video showcasing what to expect.
What Team USA will be wearing during the closing ceremony
As usual, the American squad will be decked out in Ralph Lauren.
But the closing ceremony uniform differs from what athletes wore during the opening ceremony, featuring more color — including a red jacket.
“The closing ceremony uniform draws inspiration from vintage ski racing kits, featuring a sporty and modern color-blocked puffer jacket with bold Team USA graphics and a wool turtleneck sweater in a patriotic color palette, paired with a crisp white utility pant,” the fashion brand said in a statement to Today.com in December, when the looks were unveiled.
This is now the 10th straight Olympics where Ralph Lauren has outfitted Team USA.
How to watch the closing ceremony
The event kicks off at 2:30 p.m. ET.
It will air live on NBC and stream on NBCOlympics.com and Peacock. For night owls, there will be a prime-time encore presentation at 9 p.m. ET.
And for those of you who want to follow along on a second screen, our NBC News Digital team will be live-blogging all day from here in the U.S.
