Olympics Opening Ceremony start time and schedule

At last.

After the longest torch relay in Winter Olympic history, one that spent more than 100 days on the road, covered 28,000 miles, and passed through some 12,000 hands, it's finally arrived in Vancouver.

Ceremony starts at 6 pm PT (9 pm ET)

Tune in tonight to NBC at 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time (7:30 p.m. Eastern Time) for starting coverage of the XXI Winter Olympic Opening Ceremonies. The actual Opening Ceremony kicks off at 6 p.m. in Vancouver (9pm in New York). Canada has invested billions of dollars over the past seven years to host 5,000 athletes and 2 million visitors in Vancouver and Whistler. The host city is operating a website with the complete schedule and results of all events.

As is tradition, the exact details of tonight’s ceremonies are unknown. But expect to see Canadian Grammy winner Sarah McLachlan perform her new song “One Dream." Wayne Gretzky may even make an appearance. Among tonight’s 83 flag-bearers will be five-time American Olympic luger Mark Grimmette and Canadian speed skater Clara Hughes who has medaled in both the Winter and Summer Games.

Over this long President’s Day weekend, on television and Internet, NBC and its five affiliate channels will provide near round-the-clock coverage of all the Olympic events with the exception of bobsled, curling, and skeleton, which will all start later in the Games. To see a complete TV schedule of the upcoming two weeks, visit NBC.

Visit our Vancouver Olympics homepage for complete coverage. Follow staff writer and former Olympic contender Christa Case Bryant as she tweets live from the Games.