Major Lazer Headlines Olympics Closing

- The closing ceremony for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will be held on February 22, 2026, at the historic Verona Arena, a Roman amphitheater dating back to the 1st century. This will be the first time an Olympic ceremony is held in a UNESCO World Heritage site. - The theme for the ceremony is "Beauty in Action," which will celebrate Italian culture, art, and innovation through a blend of music, dance, and technology. The creative team is led by Alfredo Accatino, who has been involved in other major international productions. - Major Lazer is an American electronic music group founded in 2008, currently consisting of producer Diplo and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. The group is known for its genre-blending sound that mixes reggae, dancehall, reggaeton, and EDM. - The group's most successful track, "Lean On," a collaboration with DJ Snake and MØ, became a global hit in 2015, accumulating billions of streams. Other major hits for the group include "Cold Water," featuring Justin Bieber and MØ, and "Watch Out For This (Bumaye)." - The closing ceremony will also feature a lineup of Italian talent, including world-renowned ballet dancer Roberto Bolle, who is a principal dancer at La Scala Theatre Ballet. - Italian singer-songwriter Achille Lauro is also slated to perform. Lauro has competed in Italy's prestigious Sanremo Music Festival multiple times and represented San Marino in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest. - The roster of performers is rounded out by Italian DJ and producer Gabry Ponte, widely known as a member of the Eurodance group Eiffel 65 and for their international hit "Blue (Da Ba Dee)". - The inclusion of a major electronic act like Major Lazer follows a trend of contemporary and diverse musical performances at Olympic ceremonies, such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Billie Eilish performing for the Paris 2024 handover, and The Who headlining the London 2012 closing ceremony.