Organisers of the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games are on the hunt for a talented production team to deliver showstopping Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2026 Commonwealth Games that share Victoria’s story with the world.

As part of an Expressions of Interest (EOI) invitation hitting the market this week to run the dual ceremony productions, the Victoria 2026 Organising Committee will challenge creative industries to take the Games’ unique, multi-city model as ‘an opportunity to think differently.’

The chosen production team will run the Opening and Closing Ceremonies end-to-end, including everything from conceiving creative ideas and collaborating with First Nations people, to overseeing auditions with local artists and managing the technical inner-workings of a multi-city production.

“Victoria is not just the sporting capital, we’re also the creative capital – and there’ll be so much local talent and inspiration for our ceremonies production team to draw upon to tell Victoria’s story,”  Victoria 2026 Organising Committee CEO Jeroen Weimar said. 

Above all, this is a chance to do something different.
Jeroen Weimar

“Our multi-city Commonwealth Games is a trailblazer and that’s the spark I want the world to see during our opening and closing numbers.” 

When and where

The Victoria 2026 Opening Ceremony on 17 March at the world-famous Melbourne Cricket Ground – the biggest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere – will raise the curtain on the Commonwealth Games and set the tone for the multi-sport, multi-city spectacular to come.

An upgraded Kardinia Park in Geelong will host the blockbuster Closing Ceremony before tens of thousands of spectators on 29 March.

Weimar said the Closing Ceremony “will celebrate Victoria’s success on the world stage and thank every athlete, official, volunteer, worker and community member who made it possible.”

In between the headline ceremonies are 12 days of elite competition across 20 sports and 9 Para sports, all split across the five Games cities of Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton and Gippsland.

“More than a million ticket holders will get a ringside seat to see global sport in our backyard,”  Weimar said.

“It’s the biggest event regional Victoria has ever seen.”

The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony

What to expect 

Only showtime itself will confirm what ceremony producers have in store for the millions of viewers in the stands and at home.

Spectators will likely see a showcase of the Games’ five host cities, a celebration of the state’s multicultural identity, the participation of children and young people – plus spellbinding displays of music, art and dance performed by household names and emerging local talent alike.

The events will take the lead from the groundbreaking Birmingham 2022 Closing Ceremony, where Traditional Owners from Victoria formally took part in the Commonwealth Flag handover and invited athletes from Commonwealth Nations onto Country.

Victoria 2026 will honour First Peoples as co-hosts, recognise their representatives in formal protocols, and share the stories and histories of the oldest surviving culture on earth.

Traditional Owners from Victoria formally inviting Commonwealth athletes onto Country in 2026 during the Birmingham 2022 Closing Ceremony

What Victoria 2026 is looking for

The Expressions of Interest invitation will call for a production team that can deliver ‘captivating storytelling, stunning creative visuals and flawless technical execution’.

“We want experts because our athletes and performers deserve ceremonies that run like clockwork,”  Weimar said.

“This is also a creative exercise – so we want the team that can really get to the heart and soul of Victoria and share its stories.” 

The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony

How to join Team Victoria 

Businesses who want a shot at supplying ceremony production services for the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games are encouraged to view the information at Buying for Victoria’s suppliers’ portal .

The full procurement process will measure firms on their ability to deliver the event, and also their commitment to Victoria’s Local Jobs First Policy and the state’s Social Procurement Framework.

“This one procurement represents hundreds of individual opportunities for which Victorian companies are well positioned,"  Weimar said.

“Infrastructure, security, cleaning, catering, waste, services, and more – and that’s not even mentioning the entire creative sector.”

Victoria 2026's Business Hub  has more information about policies that are designed to support Victorian jobs, and about how all businesses can put themselves in the strongest position for success through the Expressions of Interest process.

In March, Games Organisers and the Victorian Government revealed their three-year procurement pipeline for goods and services to host the major event – representing more than 1,200 individual procurement activities and covering everything from golf balls to gold medals. 

“Like all our more than 1,200 procurement opportunities coming down the pipeline, we’re keen to see as many local businesses as possible put their best foot forward,” Weimar said.