Milan Cortina’s Painfully Long Olympics Opening Ceremony Was a Defiantly Analog Celebration of Humanity

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Most Olympic opening ceremonies have a turning point – a moment when you stop being amused by the earnest performances and actually get caught up in the spectacle. For me, that happened surprisingly early during Friday’s lengthy, somewhat uneven, and very dance-heavy Milan Cortina 2026 ceremony. I was relieved it wasn’t after three hours, because I was starting to struggle to stay awake! The moment came when a woman in an evening gown appeared, followed by a crowd of photographers – a clever nod to the classic Italian film La Dolce Vita. The film’s director, Federico Fellini, was known for his grand spectacles, artistry, and glamour, and his influence was definitely felt throughout the ceremony, which proudly showcased Italy’s art and culture in a wonderfully traditional way.

I just watched the opening ceremony for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, and it was… ambitious, to say the least. Produced by the experienced Marco Balich, it was broadcast live on NBC and Peacock, and it wasn’t a traditional, single-location affair. The main event unfolded at Milan’s San Siro Stadium with around 80,000 people watching, but there were also events happening in other places, even a second cauldron lit in Cortina! Honestly, jumping between locations and seeing the Parade of Nations split up was a little confusing at first. But it all seemed to tie into the ceremony’s central idea – armonia, which means harmony. And in today’s world, the idea of literally connecting events from different places to create one unified experience felt pretty powerful and symbolic.

As a total movie and spectacle lover, I have to say the opening ceremony was exactly what I hoped for – a beautiful blend of high art and pure, joyful silliness! It started with a gorgeous video that felt like a travel ad for Italy, then dancers came out dressed as characters from Canova’s famous sculpture, Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss – a nod to Italy’s rich history. Things quickly got wonderfully weird with a playful scene featuring huge masks of composers like Rossini, Puccini, and Verdi. They even had giant paint tubes ‘spilling’ fabric onto the stage! There was this amazing, Fellini-esque moment with dancers dressed as iconic Italian things – the Colosseum, espresso pots, even bakers with towering cakes! Of course, Mariah Carey showed up looking incredible in white feathers and sang “Volare,” throwing in a bit of her own song for good measure. And they paid tribute to the late Giorgio Armani with a simple but stylish parade of models in monochromatic suits – it was a really lovely touch. Overall, it was a perfect mix of everything I love about a good opening ceremony: beautiful, funny, and totally over-the-top!

The constant stream of performances and video clips quickly became tiresome. That short segment featuring athletes, musicians, and laughing children riding streetcars felt unnecessary, as did the animated sequence of actress Sabrina Impacciatore traveling through Olympic history. However, the live performance that followed—bringing a surprised Impacciatore back to the present with hockey players and 80s skiers—was genuinely fun. The subsequent plea for peace, delivered through a slow song, dance, and a Nelson Mandela quote from Charlize Theron, felt out of touch; a bland message about the world’s problems can be more hurtful than silence. Earlier in the show, I’d hoped the lengthy pre-Parade of Nations dance—the one that slowly built up to the Olympic rings—would be the last of its kind. Unfortunately, there were even more dance numbers after that segment.

One thing I really appreciated about the segment featuring the Olympic rings was how well it captured the overall simple, low-tech feel of the opening ceremony. Instead of relying on modern technology like drones or artificial intelligence – which have become hallmarks of the event in recent years – they used a classic element: massive, physical rings illuminated by fireworks. Milan made a powerful decision to prioritize the human element – something fundamental to both art and athletic competition – rather than focusing on flashy technological displays or sponsorships.

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2026-02-07 05:06