Olympics opening ceremony: Milan-Cortina 2026 set for Feb. 6 at San Siro

The next Olympics opening ceremony is almost here, with the 2026 Winter Games kicking off Friday, Feb. 6, in Milan. Organizers are using a stadium-sized stage at San Siro to launch an Olympics spread across northern Italy, while leaning hard into a “two-host” identity that blends city spectacle with mountain sport.

When is the opening ceremony and what time?

The opening ceremony begins Friday, Feb. 6, 2026 in Milan, with the start set for 2:00 p.m. ET. Local time in Milan will be evening, aligning with prime-time crowds inside the stadium and a large global TV audience.

Here’s the timing at a glance:

What makes this Olympics ceremony different

The ceremony is designed around a split-host concept: Milan provides the main stadium show, while the mountain venues are central to the Games’ identity and staging. Expect the production to emphasize the contrast—urban fashion and design cues paired with alpine imagery—rather than pretending the Games are concentrated in one compact Olympic park.

A key wrinkle this year is that ceremonial elements are planned to connect multiple locations, reflecting how the competition footprint stretches across several regions. The goal is to make the opening feel like a nationwide moment, not just a single-city party.

Who’s involved and what to expect on stage

The show is built for a broad audience: mass choreography, large-scale visuals, and a music-forward run that leans into widely recognizable performers. Organizers have promoted an inclusion-and-unity theme and have signaled that Italian cultural touchstones will sit alongside global pop moments.

As usual, some segments may be kept under wraps until showtime. If something isn’t shown in official previews, it’s best treated as unclear at this time rather than assumed.

Security, crowds, and the reality outside the stadium

This Olympics opening ceremony is also arriving under unusually explicit security planning. Italy has set up a round-the-clock operations center to coordinate national and local response across the Games’ multiple sites, with a focus on transport hubs, restricted areas, and high-profile delegations.

Milan is preparing for large crowds around San Siro, plus the secondary pressure points that come with a major event: rail stations, perimeter checks, and last-mile movement in the hours before and after the ceremony. Officials have also flagged cybersecurity monitoring as a key layer, reflecting how modern opening ceremonies are as much broadcast-and-network operations as they are live performances.

Weather watch for Feb. 6 in Milan

Recent days have brought heavy rain to northern Italy, but forecasts going into Friday point to improvement toward the evening. Some rain earlier in the day remains possible, with conditions expected to trend drier closer to showtime.

In the mountains, snowfall has been steady and early-February temperatures are expected to stay near seasonal norms. Avalanche risk management remains a daily consideration for visitors heading toward alpine venues during the opening weekend, even when the broader forecast looks stable.

How to watch the Olympics opening ceremony

In the U.S., the ceremony will air on the official Olympic broadcast partner and stream on its companion service, with replays available after the live window. Outside the U.S., coverage varies by country; the most reliable approach is to check your national Olympic rights-holder listings and the official Games schedule for local start times.

For viewers trying to avoid spoilers, the biggest tip is simple: the ceremony starts mid-afternoon ET, so social feeds may light up long before prime time in other time zones.

Sources consulted: International Olympic Committee, Reuters, Time, Olympics.com