All I Want for Christmas Is the Olympics: Mariah Carey to Perform at Milan Cortina 2026 Opening Ceremony

Mariah Carey will headline the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, bringing American pop star power to the Games’ global showcase. Organizers say her performance reflects the emotional build-up and unifying theme of the event.

Opening Ceremony Gets Global Star Power

Mariah Carey has been confirmed as the first international performer for the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, adding a high-profile pop presence to one of the world’s most-watched cultural stages.

The local organizing committee announced on Monday that the 56-year-old singer will perform during the ceremony on February 6 at San Siro Stadium in Milan, one of Europe’s most iconic football venues. The appearance marks Carey’s first involvement in an Olympic Games opening ceremony.

Carey, whose career spans more than three decades, is best known globally for her holiday anthem “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” as well as a catalogue of chart-topping pop and R&B hits. Organizers said her inclusion underscores the Games’ ambition to blend sport, culture, and globally recognizable voices.

Organizers Highlight Theme of Harmony

In a statement accompanying the announcement, the Milan Cortina organizing committee described Carey as a performer who captures the emotional tone surrounding the lead-up to the Games.

“Mariah Carey fully represents the emotional atmosphere that accompanies the run-up to the Games,” the committee said. “Music is a universal language that attracts different stories and sensibilities, and intertwines with the opening ceremony’s theme of harmony.”

That theme reflects the broader vision for the 2026 Winter Olympics, which will be staged across multiple locations in northern Italy. Unlike previous Winter Games concentrated in a single host city, Milan Cortina is designed as a geographically distributed event, linking urban centers with historic alpine venues.

A Multi-City Olympic Model

The Milan Cortina Games will be spread across several regions, including Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo, and other mountain clusters in Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino-Alto Adige. Organizers have said this approach is intended to reduce new construction, rely on existing infrastructure, and showcase Italy’s diverse landscapes.

As part of that concept, smaller, simultaneous opening ceremonies will also be held in three mountain clusters, complementing the main event in Milan. The ceremonies are expected to connect visually and thematically, emphasizing unity across regions while highlighting local traditions.

San Siro Stadium, which will host the primary opening ceremony, has a capacity of more than 75,000 spectators and is home to AC Milan and Inter Milan. Its selection signals the organizers’ intention to stage a large-scale, globally broadcast spectacle comparable to recent Summer Games openings.

Mariah Carey’s Global Cultural Reach

Carey’s involvement brings a distinctly international dimension to the ceremony. She is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with more than 200 million records sold worldwide, according to widely cited industry figures. Her music has crossed generations and borders, making her a familiar figure for audiences across continents.

While Carey is closely associated with Christmas music, organizers have not indicated which songs she will perform. Olympic opening ceremonies traditionally feature performances tailored to the event’s themes rather than an artist’s most commercially recognizable work.

Her participation continues a long-standing Olympic tradition of featuring globally recognized musicians to help set the emotional tone of the Games. Past Winter Olympics have included performances by artists such as Björk, k.d. lang, and more recently, K-pop and European classical performers, depending on the host nation’s cultural priorities.

Closing Ceremony to Feature Roberto Bolle

While Carey will open the Games in Milan, the closing ceremony on February 22 will shift focus to Verona, where internationally acclaimed Italian ballet star Roberto Bolle will headline the event.

The ceremony will take place at the Arena di Verona, a Roman amphitheater dating back nearly 2,000 years. Still used today for concerts and opera performances, the venue is one of Italy’s most recognizable historical landmarks.

Bolle, a principal dancer with La Scala Theatre Ballet in Milan and a former étoile of the Royal Ballet in London, is widely regarded as one of Italy’s most prominent cultural ambassadors. His selection reflects the Games’ effort to balance international appeal with national artistic heritage.

Culture as a Core Olympic Pillar

The International Olympic Committee has increasingly emphasized culture and sustainability alongside athletic competition. Opening and closing ceremonies are designed not only as entertainment but also as storytelling platforms that communicate a host nation’s identity to a global audience.

For Italy, that narrative blends ancient history, contemporary creativity, fashion, music, and sport. Milan’s status as a global capital of design and culture, combined with the alpine heritage of Cortina d’Ampezzo, provides a contrasting backdrop that organizers hope will resonate internationally.

The ceremonies are expected to draw hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide, reinforcing the strategic importance of artist selection and thematic coherence.

Countdown to Milan Cortina 2026

The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics will run from February 6 to February 22, 2026, followed by the Paralympic Games in March. More than 2,900 athletes from around 90 countries are expected to compete across disciplines including alpine skiing, ice hockey, figure skating, and snowboarding.

Italy last hosted the Winter Olympics in 2006 in Turin. Milan Cortina will mark the country’s third Winter Games overall and its fourth Olympic hosting role when including Summer Games in Rome (1960).

With less than a year to go, announcements such as Carey’s performance are part of a broader effort to build public anticipation and international visibility ahead of the Games.