Special Olympics Closing Ceremony Will Bring Together Music, Fun, and Teamwork

(KNSI) – The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games will conclude on Friday, June 26, with a closing ceremony at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

The event will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The evening will begin with music from DJ Mad Mardigan, followed by a presentation by Chief Executive Officer Christy Sovereign. Sovereign will lead the Entrance of Placards, which honors every delegation that participated in the Games.

Continuing the ceremony will be the official transition, during which the Games flag is transferred to the 2030 USA Games host city, Cleveland. The official Flame of Hope will then be extinguished. An athlete dance afterparty will follow and officially close the event.

Director of Communications Jessica Poole said the closing ceremony will mark the culmination of the hard work of participating athletes and those who organized and staffed the event.

“I expect it to be a breath of everyone saying, ‘We did it and accomplished something really important.’ For me personally, I will always come back to the joy and accomplishment of putting on an event of this magnitude, knowing the impact it has on the athletes’ lives.”

2026 marks the first time Minnesota has hosted the Special Olympics USA Games. The state previously hosted the Special Olympics World Games in 1991 at the Metrodome, where Prince performed at the opening ceremony.

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