The Olympic Winter Games in Milan kicked off with a stunning slate of performances.

Marco Balich has helped design grand spectacles at more than half a dozen Olympics. On Friday, he’ll do it again, on home turf in Italy.

And NBC will likely get big numbers again on Sunday as the network airs both Super Bowl LX and its Olympics coverage.

The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics kicked off with an opening ceremony on Friday that averaged 21.4 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

As the Milan-Cortina festivities unspooled across multiple locations, the theme of "harmony" felt more necessary - and harder to capture - than ever.

What happened during the 2026 Olympics opening ceremony live from Milan? Read on for all the memorable moments, including the Parade of Nations and fabulous performances.

Commentators Mary Carillo and Terry Gannon hosted the NBC broadcast of the ceremony, which features a traditional performance by the host country of every Olympic Games. See the artists who used music to unite the viewers across the world before athletes compete across sports from skiing to ice hockey, vying for gold.

The opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics promises to make history before the first medal is even awarded. Here's how and when to watch it.