There's snow place like Beijing this winter.
The 2022 Winter Olympics are scheduled to officially kick off with the Opening Ceremony on Friday, Feb. 4, and we're bringing you all the details on how to watch so you can be fully prepared for the moment Team USA hits the floor.
The spectacle will take place in Beijing's National Stadium—also known as the Bird's Nest—where the world watched the 2008 Summer Olympics begin and end nearly 14 years ago. And while you can expect to see a similar show of lights, dancing and fireworks come Feb. 4, the ceremony and the Winter Games as a whole will naturally look a little different due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
International spectators will once again be banned from attending the Games in-person, as was the case this past summer during the Tokyo Olympics. However, although tickets aren't available to the public, organizers recently announced that "selected" spectators will be allowed in person.
Running through Sunday, Feb. 20, all of the frozen fun begins in just a matter of days. Here's what you need to know about the Opening Ceremony.
When can I watch the Opening Ceremony?
In a first for the Winter Games, NBCUniversal will provide unprecedented full-day coverage of the Opening Ceremony on Friday, Feb. 4, beginning at 6:30 a.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. A special edition of Today will follow on NBC at 9 a.m., and anyone who missed the early-morning kick-off will be able to watch an enhanced prime time presentation of the Opening Ceremony from 8 to 11 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
Who is hosting the Opening Ceremony?
Today's Savannah Guthrie and NBC Olympics' Mike Tirico are set to host the Opening Ceremony, just as they did last year during the 2020 Summer Olympics.
What can we expect from the Opening Ceremony?
Acclaimed film director Zhang Yimou is overseeing the production, which will feature 3,000 performers and run less than 100 minutes—shorter than usual—according to state-run news outlet Xinhua.
"The scale and duration have been cut, and there is no longer a large-scale theatrical performance segment," said Zhang, as reported by Variety. "We've significantly reduced the number of performers, and [instead] use technology to make [the stage] less crowded, but not empty. Technology and new concepts will make it feel full, ethereal and romantic."
Additionally, the Olympic Cauldron will be lit in a way that's "unprecedented in the over 100-year history of the Olympic Games," Zhang told Xinhua.
What will Team USA be wearing to the Opening Ceremony?
Ralph Lauren is once again dressing Team USA, but this time, the brand has teamed up with textile innovation company Skyscrape to integrate Intelligent Insulation—a first-of-its-kind technology that intuitively adapts to changes in air temperature—into the outfits.
Stylewise, the Team USA Opening Ceremony uniform is "a modern and fresh take on sportswear [that] was created with sustainability in mind," Ralph Lauren said in a press release.
How can I watch the Beijing Winter Olympic games?
You can watch all events and coverage on NBC, Peacock, NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. A cable login will be required for all of those, so if you don't have cable, you can tune in to the Olympic channel on Sling TV or sign up for subscription services like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV.
Early events like curling and alpine skiing kick off on Feb. 2, and NBC prime time coverage begins Feb. 3 with live figure skating and men's and women's moguls.
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)