2026 Winter Olympics closing ceremony

The 2026 Winter Olympics closing ceremony took place on 22 February 2026. It started at 20:30 CET (19:30 UTC) and concluded at 23:00. Entitled "Beauty in Action", the ceremony was held at the Verona Arena in Verona, Italy.

As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proceedings combine the protocol-related and cultural segments.^[1] It is the first Olympics Games closing ceremony under the IOC presidency of Kirsty Coventry.

The city of Verona was chosen to host the ceremony, even though no events were scheduled to take place there: the intention was for this ceremony to be held in a setting reminiscent of the ancient Olympic Games. The ancient Roman amphitheater, which regularly hosts a famous open-air opera festival as well as other cultural events, also hosted the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympics on 6 March. The Teatro Filarmonico, an opera theatre in Verona, served as a secondary venue.

The closing ceremony was filmed by Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and broadcast by International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Global Media rights holders.

The creative team for the ceremony was led by Francesco Paolo Conticello, president and CEO of G2 Eventi – Casta Diva Group. The team includes Angelo Bonello (artistic and show director) and Francesca Formisano (music composer).^[2] While other sources stated that the creative team was produced by Filmmaster Group guided by Alfredo Accatino, with the team consisting of Adriano Martella (creative director), Stefania Opipari (show director), Stefano Ciammitti (costume designer), Vittorio Cosma (music director), Michele Braga (music director) and Claudio Santucci (set designer).^[3]

The Olympians staying in the Milan Olympic Village traveled by train from Milan to Verona.^[4]

The closing ceremony was held at the Verona Arena, and started at 20:30 (CET) in Verona, Italy. It began with a film entitled "a night at the opera," which serves as a tribute to Italian opera: a lumière illuminated multiple chandeliers on a constructed stage in the middle of the arena, with a camera following him behind the stage into underground tunnels beneath the arena. The segment featured tributes to various Italian operas, including Rigoletto, La traviata, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Madama Butterfly, and Aida, with performers wearing extravagant costumes made using recycled materials. This segment featured cameos from famous Italians, including Achille Lauro and Deborah Compagnoni, as well as a brief tribute to Juliet on her balcony was also seen. Afterward, a large chandelier appeared above the stage while music from La traviata was playing. Meanwhile, another tribute to Italian operas paraded with the athletes through Piazza Bra in Verona while making their way into the arena. At the same time, the choir sang from the Teatro Filarmonico, which served as a secondary venue for the ceremony with an audience including Benedetta Porcaroli was shown.^[5]

Afterward, a short video segment titled "Faces of Italy" saw portraits of various Italians captured by photographer Marco Delogu. After the seating of the dignitaries, Paolo Fresu and the choir of the Fondazione Arena di Verona performed "Il Canto degli Italiani" during the raising of the flag of Italy; the flag itself was carried by people from the host sites of the games and the Carabinieri. Italian athletes who won medals at the Games stood on stage during the flag raising.^[6] Afterward, Italian athletes Silvio Fauner, Maurilio De Zolt, Marco Albarello, and Giorgio Vanzetta (members of the winning Cross-country skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics – Men's 4 × 10 kilometre relay team) appeared with the Olympic flame in an ampoule; this led to the illumination of the Olympic rings inside the arena.

After the flags of the nations competing at the Games arrived in the arena, so did the athletes. During the athletes' parade, Margherita Vicario, Davide Shorty, and Calibro 35 performed on stage. This was followed by an acrobatic performance represeting athletes and a victory ceremony for the medalists from Cross-country skiing – Men's 50 kilometre classical and Cross-country skiing – Women's 50 kilometre classical.^[7] Gabry Ponte and Eiffel 65 performed Blue (Da Ba Dee) during a tribute to the Games' volunteers, which was followed by a moment of remembrance segment performed by Jun Ichikawa.

With various references to water and sunlight, La Scala Theatre Ballet's Roberto Bolle performed an aerial tribute to Earth. Italian singer Joan Thiele also performed during the segment. Afterward, the choir and orchestra of the Fondazione Arena di Verona performed the Olympic Hymn during the lowering of the Olympic flag. Shortly before, "Hymn to Liberty" (the national anthem of Greece) was performed during its flag raising. The mayors of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo handed over the flag to the presidents of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the host regions of the 2030 Winter Olympics. This was followed by the raising of the flag of France and a performance of "La Marseillaise" by Marine Chagnon. During the performance, French athletes at the Games appeared; this was followed by a video from the French Alps, with references to light and "a new dawn".^[8] The Olympic Flag will be raised again on July 14, 2028, for the Opening Ceremony of the 2028 Summer Olympics at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

Milano Cortina 2026 organising committee president Giovanni Malagò and International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry delivered official remarks, with Coventry declaring the closing of the Games, praising them as "magical games", and inviting the youth of the world and the audience to assemble in the French Alps in 4 years. The flame was extinguished at the arena, Milan, and Cortina d'Ampezzo, while pianist Gloria Campaner performed Experience by Ludovico Einaudi. This was followed by the musical performances of Diplo, Major Lazer, Meduza, MØ, Nyla, DJ Snake, Achille Lauro, and Alfa. To end the ceremony, a light show also occurred in place of fireworks, leaving the characters from the opera segment rested under the arena.^[9]

• National Anthem of Italy – Paolo Fresu and the Choir of the Fondazione Arena di Verona
• National Anthem of Greece
• Olympic Anthem – Choir and Orchestra of the Fondazione Arena di Verona
• French National Anthem – Marine Chagnon

• National Anthem of Norway
• National Anthem of Sweden

• Gabry Ponte, who was previously a member of the Eurodance group Eiffel 65, performed the group's song "Blue (Da Ba Dee)"^[10]
• Italian singer Achille Lauro performed his song "Incoscienti giovani"^[11]
• Italian electronic collective Meduza
• American electronic music group Major Lazer featuring MØ and Italian rapper Alfa^[12]
• Actress Benedetta Porcaroli
• Italian singer Joan Thiele performed a cover of Jimmy Fontana's "Il mondo"^[13][14]
• Italian singers Margherita Vicario and Davide Shorty sang to the music of Calibro 35^[15]

• International Olympic Committee⁣ – ⁣Kirsty Coventry, President of the International Olympic Committee

Members of the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic movement, not counting foreign representatives

• Italy –
  • Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy^[16]
  • Giovanni Malagò, President of the Milano Cortina Organising Committee for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
  • Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan
  • Gianluca Lorenzi, Mayor of Cortina d'Ampezzo
  • Damiano Tommasi, Mayor of Verona

• France –
  • Renaud Muselier, President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region
  • Fabrice Pannekoucke, President of the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Region

The closing ceremony was filmed by host broadcaster Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), with OBS distributing a "world feed" for rights-holding broadcasters to use.

According to Auditel ratings, the closing ceremony was seen in Italy by an average of 6.2 million viewers.^[17]

• Australia
  • Nine Network: Todd Woodbridge, Leila McKinnon and Lydia Lassila.^[18]
• Brazil
  • Grupo Globo (SporTV and Ge TV): Luiz Carlos Júnior, Marcel Stürmmer and Marcelo Apovian.^[19]
  • CazéTV: Luís Felipe Freitas and Friends.^[20][21]
• Canada
  • CBC Sports: Andi Petrillo, Anastasia Bucsis, and Kurt Browning^[22]
• Italy
  • Rai 1: Auro Bulbarelli, Cecilia Gasdia, and Fabio Genovesi^[23]
• Netherlands
  • NPO 1 (NOS): Erik van Dijk and Mark Tuitert.^[24]
• Sweden
  • TV4: Peter Backe, Peter Reinebo, Olof Lundh^[25]
• United Kingdom
  • BBC Two: John Hunt and Hazel Irvine^[26]
• United States
  • NBC Sports (NBCUniversal): Terry Gannon, Tara Lipinski, and Johnny Weir.^[27]