Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony 2026: Where to watch, time, channel and everything you need to know

When is the opening ceremony?

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The opening ceremony of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics will take place Friday, beginning at 2 p.m. ET, with prime-time coverage starting at 8 p.m. ET.

Who will be performing?

Grammy Award-winning performer Mariah Carey, as well as Italian icon and tenor Andrea Bocelli, will be performing at this year's opening ceremony. Performers also include Emmy-nominated Italian actor Sabrina Impacciatore of Peacock's "The Paper" and Chinese pianist Lang Lang.

Follow along for live coverage

What can you expect to see?

The opening ceremony will take place at Milan’s San Siro stadium, and event organizers have said Milan will celebrate the opening of the Games by involving multiple competition venues.

The afternoon's events will feature the lighting of two Olympic cauldrons for the first time: one in Milan at the iconic Arco della Pace, and one in Cortina d’Ampezzo at Piazza Dibona in the heart of the mountain town.

Where can fans tune in?

The ceremony will be broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock.

When will Olympic events begin?

The first Olympic curling events took place Wednesday, before the opening ceremony.

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Fans can watch their favorite events live on NBC, USA Network and CNBC or streamed on Peacock, the NBC app, the NBC Sports app and NBCOlympics.com.