OLYMPICS: Milano Cortina holding final rehearsals for grand opening of 2026 Winter Games

MILAN – Inside a temporary rehearsal compound next to Milan’s iconic San Siro stadium, the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics is taking shape. Hundreds of professional dancers and volunteers are putting the final touches on what promises to be a global spectacle.

Over 1,300 performers, including around 1,200 volunteers from 27 countries, have been preparing for months in the rehearsal tent. With just a week to go before the curtain rises on February 6, rehearsals are set to move from the compound to the soccer arena itself.

But Milan will not be the only stage. The spotlight will also shine on several ski resorts across northern Italy, including co-host Cortina d’Ampezzo, Livigno in Valtellina, and Predazzo in Trento province. This marks the first “widespread ceremony” in Olympic history, spreading across multiple venues.

Creative director Marco Balich, a veteran of Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies including the 2006 Turin Winter Games, said the show revolves around the Greek concept of “harmony” – the meeting of city and mountains, man and nature, and the diverse cultures that come together at the Olympics.

“Twenty years on from Turin, it’s a different country and a different world,” Balich said. “Today, we want to show that Italy, though small, has influenced global habits through design, fashion, and food. With this ceremony, we aim to honor that legacy while renewing a message of peace and shared human values.”

Celebrating Italian Culture in Style

The ceremony will highlight Italian history, culture, and identity in a contemporary and playful way.

“The ceremony should also make people smile,” said Maria Laura Iascone, Director of Ceremonies for the Milano Cortina Foundation, during a tour of the rehearsal tent.

Costumes play a central role in celebrating Italy’s cultural roots, particularly in Milan, one of Europe’s fashion capitals. Designer Massimo Cantini Parrini has created over 1,400 costumes since last August, focusing more on historical references than contemporary trends. A special tribute will also honor the late fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who passed away in 2025.

Tributes to iconic Italian figures like Leonardo da Vinci and Christopher Columbus will be part of the show. While Columbus has become a controversial figure, Iascone assured that “everything will be presented in a light and elegant way, with no intention to provoke.”

Music, Protocols, and Global Attention

Music will feature prominently, with performances by Andrea Bocelli, Mariah Carey, Laura Pausini, and Italian rapper Ghali. Among the audience will be dozens of world leaders, including U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. A special tribute will also be given to Italian President Sergio Mattarella, one of the ceremony’s closely guarded surprises.

Balich acknowledged the challenge of keeping viewers engaged in an era dominated by short-form content. “We celebrate, in spectacular ways, clear values that unite and move people,” he said. On whether viewers will resist glancing at their phones, he added with a smile: “Impossible to say.”

Alongside the entertainment, the ceremony will include all key moments required by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), from the celebration of peace to the parade of delegations. Due to the multi-venue setup, athletes will march in alphabetical order, but delegations will be divided across four locations to reduce travel. Television direction will weave the different sites into a seamless narrative.

For the first time in Olympic history, two cauldrons will be lit simultaneously – one at Milan’s Arco della Pace and another at Cortina’s Piazza Dibona. “That moment will be a spectacle within the spectacle, paying tribute to the sacredness of the flame,” Iascone said.

The ceremony will likely serve as a historic farewell for San Siro, which is set to be decommissioned once a new arena is completed. “On this night, the stadium will not echo with football chants, but with the emotion of the Olympic spirit,” Iascone said. -Reporting by Matteo Negri, editing by Keith Weir/Reuters