The opening ceremony for the 2026 games will take place on February 6th, 2026 at at Milano’s San Siro Olympic Stadium.
Carey shared the news in an Instagram video, she said :“Ciao. Get ready for Milano Cortina 2026. See you at the Stadium San Siro on the 6th of February for the Olympic opening ceremony. Ci vediamo a Milano.”
The Olympics local organising committe released a statement to NBC, they stated that Carey represents the "emotional atmosphere that accompanies the run-up to the Games.”
“Music is a universal language that attracts different stories and sensibilities, and intertwines with the opening ceremony’s theme of harmony,” the committee continued.
According to a press release the opening ceremony will be led by creative director, Marco Balich. The harmony theme will showcase “Italian spirit, innovation and emotion with performances by world-renowned artists.”
Carey has headlined huge sporting events before as she has sung at the NFL Superbowl in 2002, the NBA All-Star game in 2003 and at the US Womens Tennis final in 2020.
Carey will be following in the footsteps of Celine Dione and Lady Gaga who sang at the 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony. This performance was Dione's first live performance after announcing that she is living with stiff person syndrome (SPS). Dione performed from the first stage of the Eiffel Tower singing Edith Piaf's L’Hymne A L’Amour. Lady Gaga surprised fans by singing in French during her performance of the classic Mon Truc En Plume.
This news comes shortly after Carey broke the record for the longest-running No. 1 song in Billboard Hot 100 history. The 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' singer reached an unprecedented 20 weeks at the top of the chart. Read more on Irelands Classic Hits here.
It has also been announced that the closing ceremony for Winter Olympics 2026 will be headlined by internationally acclaimed ballet star Roberto Bolle in Verona's ancient Roman Arena, their performance will take place on February 22nd.
