Winter Olympics 2026: Most memorable moments from Opening Ceremony in Milan Cortina

The Opening Ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina had to follow the spectacular setting of 2024 Paris Olympics holding its festivities along the Seine River. However, the ceremony inside Milan’s San Siro Olympic Stadium (home of AC Milan) provided plenty of spectacle to open the 2026 Games. 

One advantage that the Milan Cortina Opening Ceremony had over its predecessor is that the comparatively intimate setting inside a stadium allowed for more focus on the athletes who paraded in to represent their respective countries. 

Before and after the procession of countries participating in the Milan Cortina Olympics, spectators were treated to performances from pop stars and opera legends, and an array of colors and costumes certain to be remembered for years to come. 

Here are some of the most memorable moments from the 2026 Opening Ceremony:

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mariah Carey: The six-time Grammy Award winner was the headliner of the Opening Ceremony and she opened the program by performing her song "Nothing is Impossible." Carey followed up with a rendition of "Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu," also known as "Volare," which was Italy's entry at the 1958 Eurovision competition. 

What was more impressive, her voice or her enormous dress? 

Giant bobbleheads: Legendary Italian opera composers Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini and Gioachine Rossini were honored by three figures wearing large "bobbleheads." 

Yet as nice a tribute as the sculptures may have been to Italy's artistic history, it reminded others — including Yahoo Sports' Jay Busbee — of the Presidents' Race at Washington Nationals games. 

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Paint by Olympics: An excellent example of spectacle was the dance performance featuring three giant tubes of paint that poured brightly colored fabric onto the floor. The "paint" and the dancers' costumes provided vibrant colors making for a memorable visual. 

The display also evoked a playful spirit, like children playing with paints and canvas or a music video such as OK Go's "The One Moment" or (going way back) the J. Geils Band's "Freeze Frame." Much less clean-up with these splashes of color, however. 

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Coffee, anyone? Among the many things Italy is known for is espresso. The Opening Ceremony acknowledged Italy's place in the world coffee culture with brightly dressed performers were dancers dressed as Italy's signature stove-top espresso maker, the Moka Pot. 

Some snickered at the coffee maker popularized by Alfonso Bialetti being celebrated in such a setting, while others enjoyed seeing a favorite beverage maker get a colorful spotlight. Perhaps it was a reminder that caffeine might be needed to get through a three-hour proceeding. 

Espírito Brasileiro: Other countries may have had more extravagant costumes, such as Mongolia. But no delegation brought more spirit and enthusiasm than Brazil, featuring one athlete doing a cartwheel and backflip as their group entered the stadium. Again, child-like wonder and joy! 

By the way, Brazil's costumes were definitely flashy, as demonstrated by skier and flagbearer Lucas Pinheiro Braathen.

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Parade through the city: The Milan Cortina Opening Ceremony may not have spanned as far as Paris' festivities along the Seine River. But the parade of athletes expanded beyond the confines of San Siro Stadium, conveying the epic scope of the Olympic Games. 

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Several processions representing their respective countries strode through the surrounding areas hosting the Games, including Cortina d'Ampezzo, Livigno and Predazzo. 

Perhaps the most picturesque setting featured athletes walking through an Olympic ring against the backdrop of the ski and snowboarding slopes in Livigno.

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Oh, Canada! One of the fascinating aspects of any Olympic Games is the vast differences among the delgations from larger countries and smaller nations. 

For instance, Canada paraded more than 200 athletes through an Olympic ring. (The United States' delegation included 230 people.) By comparison, Iceland — which one might guess would thrive in a winter sports setting — sent four competitors to Milan Cortina. 

Ciao Italia: As could be expected, the largest cheer from the spectators in San Siro Stadium was for the host country, Italy. 

The team closed the Parade of Athletes with not one, but two delegations of athletes through both Milan and Cortina introducing themselves to the 2026 Winter Games with "The Marriage of Figaro." 

Impacciatore Impact: Fans of actress Sabrina Impacciatore from HBO's "The White Lotus" or Peacock's "The Paper" were already familiar with her flamboyant style of performance. For some, that may be a bit much on the small screen. 

But for a stadium full of thousands, Impacciatore filled the space as the focal point of a big production depicting dance through 100 years of the Olympics. 

Magnifico, Andrea Bocelli: It's not necessarily a rule, certainly not one recorded anywhere. But any ceremony that has an opportunity to close the show with Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli has to take it. Especially in Italy before thousands in a stadium and millions watching throughout the world. 

(Being the Olympics, the true show-stopper is the traditional lighting of the cauldron. And the Milan Cortina Games feature two.) 

To no surprise, Bocelli made everyone stop and listen to his magnificent rendition of "Nessun Dorma" and appreciate a moment that could be among the greatest in the lives of those in attendance.