Olympics Opening Ceremony 2026: Start Time in EST, How to Watch, TV Schedule Tips, and What to Know About Mariah Carey, Bocelli, and IOC President Kirsty Coventry

The Olympics opening ceremony for the 2026 Winter Games has officially launched the Milan–Cortina Olympics, with a multi-city format designed to reflect how geographically spread out these Games are. For viewers in the United States, the biggest questions are practical: what time it starts in EST, what channel carries it, and where to watch live and on replay.

This year’s ceremony also sparked its own set of pop-culture searches, including whether Mariah Carey is Italian, why Andrea Bocelli was featured, and who the new IOC president Kirsty Coventry is.

Olympics opening ceremony 2026 time EST and when the Olympics start

The 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony began Friday, February 6, 2026.

For US viewers:

• Opening ceremony start time: 2:00 PM ET

• Pre-show start time: 1:40 PM ET

As for when the Olympics start overall, the Games’ full window runs through Sunday, February 22, 2026, with some early competition and training activity occurring before the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony remains the official, symbolic start.

What channel is the Olympics on and where can I watch the Olympics

In the United States, the Winter Olympics are carried by the primary national broadcast rights-holder and its affiliated cable sports channels, with full-event streaming on the rights-holder’s main streaming service and official apps.

A useful way to think about it:

• Free over-the-air option: the main broadcast network (via local affiliate) typically carries the opening ceremony live and a primetime encore

• Cable option: affiliated sports channels carry live events throughout the day

• Streaming option: the rights-holder’s streaming service and authenticated apps carry the most complete live coverage, including many events not shown on the main broadcast feed

For the most accurate “Olympic TV schedule” by sport and start time, use the official schedule hub operated by the US rights-holder and the official Olympics schedule page. Those listings update frequently as live windows shift.

Olympics opening ceremony where to watch: live vs primetime replay

If you’re deciding between live coverage and a replay:

• Live coverage is best for the full parade and real-time moments (torch, cauldron lighting, speeches)

• Primetime replay is typically edited for pacing, with highlights emphasized and some segments trimmed

If you want the ceremony exactly as staged, live is the safer choice.

Andrea Bocelli Olympics: why he was part of the opening ceremony

Andrea Bocelli appeared as a signature cultural moment tied to Italy’s hosting role. His performance was timed to a high-emotion segment of the ceremony, reinforcing the event’s “heritage plus spectacle” design: a globally recognizable voice paired with iconic ceremony visuals.

Behind the headline, this is strategic programming. The opening ceremony must work simultaneously as:

• A national showcase for the host country

• A global broadcast product

• A unifying moment across many competing narratives

Featuring a world-famous Italian tenor is a straightforward way to anchor that message.

Is Mariah Carey from Italy or part Italian

No. Mariah Carey is not from Italy, and she is not generally known to have Italian ancestry.

So why did that question trend? Because she performed in Italy as part of the opening ceremony entertainment lineup, and because opera and classical crossover aesthetics often involve Italian-language repertoire. That combination reliably sparks “Is she Italian?” searches even when the answer is no.

Who is Kirsty Coventry and why people are searching “IOC president”

Kirsty Coventry is the current president of the International Olympic Committee. She is also widely recognized as a former Olympic swimmer and one of the most prominent Olympic athletes to transition into top-level sports governance.

The IOC president matters because the role shapes major Olympic decisions, including host-city relationships, governance policy priorities, and how the Olympic movement responds to political and cultural pressure.

What we still don’t know and what to watch next

Even after the opening ceremony airs, a few practical things remain fluid for viewers:

• Daily event start times can shift due to weather, course conditions, and broadcast windows

• Some sports will be easier to find on streaming than on the main broadcast channel

• Medal-event coverage may be split across broadcast, cable, and streaming depending on daypart

If you’re planning your viewing, the most reliable approach is to pick the sports you care about, then use the official listings the morning of each day to confirm the exact ET windows.

What happens next

The next major milestones after the opening ceremony are:

• First full medal day: Saturday, February 7, 2026

• Closing ceremony: Sunday, February 22, 2026

From here, the story shifts from ceremony spectacle to scheduling realities: where the most-watched events land in ET, how much the broadcast channel prioritizes primetime highlights versus live daytime coverage, and whether streaming becomes the default for fans who want complete control over what they watch.

If you tell me what country you’re watching from and which sports you care about most, I can map the best “where to watch” plan in ET without missing key medal sessions.