Article by Luminița Paul – Published Monday, December 15, 2025, 7:10 p.m. / Updated Monday, December 15, 2025, 7:11 p.m.
Marian Carey (56), singer of the hits “Vision of Love” and “All I Want for Christmas is You”, will perform at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina.
American pop superstar Mariah Carey will be the first major music star to attend the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, organizers announced in a statement.
Carey will perform at Milan's San Siro stadium on February 6 to launch the Games, her appearance set to reflect the central theme of the ceremony, “Harmony”, combining music and sport to highlight values such as inclusion, respect and cultural exchange.
Although the singer has appeared at major sporting events before, including the Super Bowl, the NBA All-Star Game and the US Open, the Olympic stage represents a major new milestone in an impressive career that has already spanned more than three decades.
Mariah Carey, following in the footsteps of Celine Dion and Lady Gaga
With her appearance, Carey will follow in the footsteps of other stars such as Celine Dion and Lady gagawho were front and center at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
🎤 Mariah Carey will take the stage.
A performance set to define an unforgettable Opening Ceremony performance at @milanocortina26. Are you ready?#Olympics pic.twitter.com/bH7IlxiW1z
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) December 15, 2025
The Milano Cortina, created and produced by Balich Wonder Studio, will feature interventions by international artists alongside elements celebrating Italian culture and innovation.
“See you in Milan” — “See you in Milan” — wrote Carey on Instagram.
“Mariah Carey perfectly represents the emotional atmosphere that accompanies the run-up to the Games,” the organizers said in the official statement. “Music is a universal language that appeals to different stories and sensibilities and intertwines with the opening ceremony's theme of harmony,” it adds.
The internationally renowned ballet star Roberto Bolle will headline the closing ceremony, which is scheduled to take place in Verona's ancient Roman arena on February 22.
The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics will be held in northern Italy, with competitions hosted in Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo and other locations in Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige. Simultaneous but smaller opening ceremonies will also be held in the three mountain clusters.
