The countdown has begun. We are now just days away from the official opening of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, scheduled for February 6 at Milan’s San Siro Stadium. For the first time, the ceremony will be spread across multiple locations, uniting Milan, Cortina, and other cities in a choral project involving more than 1,300 cast members from over 27 countries, managed by at least 950 operators and technical staff. The Milano Cortina Foundation calls it “an event of global scope, the result of a choral project involving thousands of people and artistic, technical and organizational skills of the highest level.”
At the center of the narrative is a simple but powerful concept: Harmony. According to Marco Balich, creative lead for the ceremony, “Harmony means transforming our values into images, sounds and shared emotions. It is a journey inside the colors of Italy, but it also speaks to the whole world.” The key word thus becomes the common thread of a show that unites cities and mountains, tradition and innovation, art and sport.
“Fantasia Italiana,” the official theme of the Games, was composed Italian songwriter Dardust, who was tasked with creating an anthem that will evoke both the territories that will host the competitions and the Italian musical tradition. “I wanted to create a lasting emotion,” Dardust says, “a contemporary sound that pays homage to collective memory but also looks to the future.”
Over 500 musicians have engaged in more than 700 hours of rehearsals between Milan, Cortina, Livigno, Predazzo, and Arco della Pace for the opening ceremony, with special attention paid to costumes, makeup and hairstyles. Watch for 182 original designs, and more than 1,400 costumes, 1,500 pairs of shoes on the performers, who are supported by 110 make-up artists and 70 hair stylists.
Stefania Conrieri
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