Get all the info on the 2018 Wintery Olympics Opening Ceremony, from when it starts to who’s performing and so much more.
The 2018 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony takes place on Feb. 9 at 6 AM ET…and at 8 PM ET. The 2018 Winter Olympics will take place in PyeongChang, South Korea, which is about 14-hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. So, when the Opening Ceremony takes place at 8 PM in Korea, fans will have to get up early to watch the event in real time. Thankfully, NBC (the network that is broadcasting the entire Winter Olympics) will run a primetime broadcast of the ceremony at 8 PM. Mike Tirico and Katie Couric will host. Also, yes — the Opening Ceremony is taking place on the 9th, one day after the Winter Olympics holds its first events. Just run with it.
The theme of the ceremony is Peace. Viewers of the Opening Ceremony will be treated to a story of five children who find peace through adventure. It will be like a fairy tale in the winter,” Song Seung- Whan, general director of the opening and closing of the Winter Olympics, told the Nikkei Asian Review. “It’s a fantasy, which children see as a dream.” How neat. By the way, Soohorang, the white tiger, is the mascot of the game, while Bandabi, the black bear, is the mascot of the 2018 Winter Paralympics.
Two of the performers confirmed for the event include an Indie rocker and a pop vocalist. Organizers for the Opening Ceremony have done their best to keep most of the event under wraps. Yet, some rumors and secrets have gotten out. Ha Hyun Woo, 36, the lead vocalist and guitarist for the indie rock band Guckkasten, will reportedly take part in the ceremony, according to Billboard. Ahn Ji Young, 22, of pop duo Bolbbalgan4, will also reportedly be involved.
Insooni, 60, one of South Korea’s more revered R&B divas, will likely be involved with the ceremony. She performed the theme to 2018 Olympics torch relay, unveiling the song in July 2017 “Insooni’s performance tonight of ‘Let Everyone Shine’ was a great way to launch the theme that will unite the nation and help share the Olympic spirit, as the Olympic flame makes its way across Korea.” said Kim Dae-Hyun, the PyeongChang 2018 Director of Culture and Ceremonies, according to the Olympics official site.
Someone spoiled one surprise. Speaking of the Olympic flame, one of the Opening Ceremony’s biggest centerpieces made its debut a bit prematurely, thanks to one nosy photographer. A photog for Reuters named Fabrizio Bensch was at the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium during a rehearsal, and he took pictures of a towering, five-pronged Olympic flame structure, according to Yahoo Sports. This structure was supposed to stay unseen until the ceremony. Yikes!
Yes, that hot Tongan flag bearer will be back. Remember Pita Taufatofua, the 34-year-old oiled, shirtless Tonga man who captured the hearts of the Internet when he carried his country’s flag during the Rio 2016 games? He’s back. The taekwondo Olympian qualified as a cross-country skier. With the temperatures in Pyeongchang being somewhere south of frigid, the changes of him going without a shirt are low, but at least he’ll be there.
To learn more about the US athletes headed to the games, visit teamusa.org. The Olympics begin live on February 8!
Are you excited for the Opening Ceremony, HollywoodLifers?
