The Olympics Closing Ceremony Was A Massive Spectacle, And Fans Loved It
Beijing definitely brought it.
After two weeks of global athletic competition, the 2022 Winter Olympics officially came to a close on Sunday, Feb. 20. As always, the end of the massive sporting event was marked with a closing ceremony full of light shows, performances, and memorable moments. This year’s event was one for the books, as Beijing put on a show filled with spectacle.
The closing ceremony took place on Feb. 20 in Beijing, China, the host city of this year’s festivities. The ceremony was held at the Beijing National Stadium, which is also known as the Bird’s Nest. According to Time, few fans were able to attend due to health and safety restrictions, but that didn’t stop the world from tuning in from the safety of their homes. Just like the Opening Ceremony, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Zhang Yimou directed the Closing Ceremony. It was hardly his first Olympics rodeo. The filmmaker also directed the Beijing 2008 ceremonies, so he’s a pro. Is there an Oscars category for the best Olympic ceremony? He’d def win, because this year’s event lit up social media.
While the opening ceremony came with a small bout of controversy and a few memed moments, the closing ceremony was equally captivating, with the winter landscape, a 90-second firework show, and the 2022 panda mascot Bing Dwen Dwen skating on ice.
Of course, social media has the last word when it comes to any major entertainment event, and Olympic fans shared their thoughts about the ceremony online.
Bing Dwen Dwen, had a huge following this year. In fact, fans lined up outside Olympic merchandise stores to get their first dibs on the stuffed animal version of the cute creature, per NPR. So of course, he stole the show when he took to the ice, but viewers also loved all the other show-stopping performances.
Some viewers were anticipating the 2026 Olympics that will be held in Milan-Cortina, Italy. The Closing Ceremony paid tribute to the Winter Olympics next home: After taking down the Olympic flag, IOC president Thomas Bach passed the flag to mayors of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Although this is the end of the Winter Games for 2022, the Paralympics will begin March 4 and end March 13 on NBC, so there’s still plenty of global athletics to look forward to.
