How to watch the Winter Olympics 2026 Opening Ceremony: Time, performers

The Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics' official Opening Ceremony will air Friday, Feb. 6 at 1:40 p.m. ET on NBC and is expected to last roughly three hours. The show takes place at Milan’s 100-year-old San Siro Olympic Stadium and is designed by Marco Balich, who has worked on 16 Olympic ceremonies.

For the first time the ceremony will end with the lighting of two Olympic flames, one in Milan and one in Cortina d’Ampezzo. If you don't have cable, NBC is included in Sling TV’s Select plan, which starts at $19.99/month, and one month will cover the games through Feb.

22. Peacock, the official streaming home of the winter games, will also broadcast thousands of hours of live coverage; its tiers cost $10.99/month with ads and $16.99/month without ads. Performers scheduled for the ceremony include Mariah Carey, Andrea Boccelli, Sabrina Impacciatore — who appeared in The Paper and The White Lotus Season 2 — Italian singer-songwriter Laura Pausini and Chinese pianist Lang Lang.