Milano Cortina 2026 schedule and opening ceremony: times, venues, and who performed

The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games are underway in Italy, and the most searched items right now are the Olympics schedule, how to watch, and the details behind a star-filled opening ceremony that blended stadium spectacle in Milan with mountain scenes from Cortina d’Ampezzo and other venues. With medals being decided daily through Feb. 22, the event calendar and broadcast windows are becoming as important to fans as the results.

Olympics games Milano Cortina 2026: the key dates

Here’s the backbone of the winter olympics medals calendar in Eastern Time (ET), which helps when you’re planning viewing around live finals and prime-time replays:

If you’re in the UK, use the 2:00 p.m. ET live start time as your conversion anchor for the opening ceremony and check your local listings for exact carriage.

Olympics opening ceremony 2026: San Siro, Armonia, and the rings

The winter olympics opening ceremony 2026 took place in Milan’s San Siro stadium (temporarily branded for the Games), with additional live elements staged in the mountains and streets at other Olympic locations. The ceremony’s titled theme, “Armonia,” centered on the idea of harmony across Italy’s “city-to-mountains” setup, culminating in the unveiling of the Olympic rings and the formal start of the Games.

Musically, the show leaned heavily into Italian cultural touchstones. The program included a sequence referencing major Italian composers, and it featured headline performances tied to widely recognized pieces associated with Italian music and opera.

Andrea Bocelli, Nessun Dorma, and the Italian music set pieces

Search traffic around andrea bocelli winter olympics, nessun dorma, rossini, and volare surged after the ceremony.

Andrea Bocelli delivered a performance of “Nessun Dorma,” the famous aria from Puccini’s Turandot, a moment designed to land as the ceremony’s “big voice” centerpiece. The show also referenced Italy’s classical canon more broadly—names like Rossini and other iconic composers were part of the staging concept—before shifting into pop and modern segments.

Meanwhile, “Volare” (formally “Nel blu, dipinto di blu”) appeared as a crowd-pleasing nod to Italy’s pop heritage, with the song woven into the ceremony’s musical arc.

Mariah Carey at the Olympics: age, heritage, and why she performed

A major curiosity spike followed mariah carey olympics, along with basic questions: how old is mariah carey, is mariah carey italian, and why is mariah carey performing at the olympics.

• How old is Mariah Carey? She is 56 as of Feb. 12, 2026 (ET).

• Is Mariah Carey Italian? No. She is an American singer and is not Italian.

• Why was she performing? The opening ceremony is built around global star power plus host-country cultural elements. Her segment fit the “international headliner” slot while also intersecting with Italian themes through song choice and presentation.

Cortina Italy, the Dolomites, and where events are held

If you’re asking where is cortina or where is milano cortina, the short answer is: the Games are spread across northern Italy, mixing a major city base with Alpine venues.

• Cortina d’Ampezzo sits in the Dolomites in northeastern Italy and is one of the signature mountain hosts for snow and sliding sports.

• Milan anchors the urban side, including major ceremony staging and arena events.

• Other competition hubs are used to cover the full slate of winter olympic sports across 8 sports and 16 disciplines, totaling 116 medal events.

Italy is the host country, so if you’re searching 2026 winter olympics held in which country, the answer is Italy.

Olympics schedule and where to watch winter Olympics 2026

For viewers searching where to watch winter olympics 2026, how to watch winter olympics 2026, tv listings, and what channel is the winter olympics on, availability depends on your country’s rights holder. In most places, you’ll find:

• a main broadcast channel carrying marquee finals and nightly highlight blocks,

• a companion sports network for overflow events,

• and a streaming option with live sessions, replays, and multi-feed coverage.

Because the schedule is dense and events run morning through night in Europe, the most reliable approach is to check your local daily grid using the ET start times for the biggest finals you care about.

Sources consulted: International Olympic Committee, Olympics.com, Reuters, The Guardian