The opening of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics is finally upon us, marking the start of another contest of the most elite athletes in the world. The 25th Winter Olympics evoke many exciting memories, including their opening ceremonies.

The winter sports are the main attraction of the Olympics, but tuning in to the opening ceremony is worth it. While everyone looks forward to different aspects of the opening ceremony, there are certain Olympic years that stand out. We look back at some of the best winter Olympic opening ceremonies we’ve had the pleasure of witnessing.

Sarajevo 1984

The 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo were one of the most memorable in history, for several reasons. For one, they were the first Winter Olympics held in a socialist state, not to mention they came at the height of the Cold War. Despite the international political tensions, all countries that qualified participated. This global participation made the opening ceremony one of the best ever witnessed.

The opening ceremony for the 1984 Olympics happened in the Koševo Stadium in Sarajevo. The ceremony itself was a display of the best Yugoslavia had to offer. It was a display of unity, discipline, and sportsmanship, with a very well-synchronized performance. Sanda Dubravčić was the figure skater who had the honor of lighting the Olympic flame, opening the games. A curious fact about Sarajevo as one of the best Winter Olympic opening ceremonies, is that it is one of the rare modern-era ceremonies to be held during the day.

PyeongChang 2018

The 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang were the first Winter Olympics ever held in South Korea. PyeongChang competed against Annecy in France and Munich in Germany for the right to host the 2018 Olympics. A curious fact about these Olympics is that the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium was constructed specifically for the opening and closing ceremonies. There were no sports events in this stadium, and the authorities tore it down immediately after.

The opening ceremony itself was a magnificent combination of tradition and future, making it one of the best Winter Olympic opening ceremonies. It aimed to send a message of peace, passion, harmony, and convergence, and it managed to do so perfectly. 371 janggu players formed the Taegeuk shape, symbolising harmony with the universe. After the parade of nations, the participants formed the River of Time, followed by the Gates to the Future choreography. Following the speeches, the participants performed the Peace in Motion act, which led to the Olympic oaths. Figure skater Yuna Kim had the honor of lighting the Olympic flame.

Salt Lake City 2002

The U.S. is the only country to have hosted the Winter Olympics four times in history. In fact, the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics were the fourth and most recent winter games there. Salt Lake City won the Winter Olympics hosting bid over Östersund, Sion, and Quebec City. This city hosted 2,409 winter Olympic athletes from 78 countries around the globe, and it all started with the opening ceremony.

The host country held the opening ceremony at the Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. They removed the stadium turf to create an abstract ice rink, which displayed the history, nature, and resilience of the U.S.. This ceremony came only five months after the 9/11 terrorist attack, so it focused on pain, resilience, and patriotism. The key performers in the opening ceremony were skaters Kristi Yamaguchi, Jozef Sabovcik, and Scott Hamilton. Mike Eruzione, the retired captain of the “Miracle on Ice” ice hockey team, had the honor of lighting the Olympic flame.