Prima della Scala 2026: Otello, Tickets and Milan

Tickets: the 7 December performance is listed as sold out

The sold-out evening, and the other routes still open

The 7 December evening is listed as sold out. The table places it alongside the other routes open on the date we checked, with their date and price.

Source: the theatre’s official page for the opening night and Museo Teatrale alla Scala box office, checked on 11 October 2026.

The Under 30 preview on Friday 4 December is €20. The theatre’s pages show two on-sale dates that do not match: check the date directly on the theatre’s website, rather than deducing it from an article.

How much does the Prima cost? Dated price points, not a 2026 price list

The theatre has published no price list for the 2026 evening. The most solid reference is the report Il Giorno published on the 2025 evening. The table below puts it next to the official 2026 page, with dates.

Source: Il Giorno, checked on 11 October 2026.

In 2025 the evening took €2.85 million according to Il Giorno, for about 2,000 spectators in a full house. All the tickets available for 7 December 2025 had sold out.

For the 2026-2027 season, the theatre has announced a price rise aimed at the “best seats”: the Prima, the stalls and the boxes. No amount has been published yet (Artribune, 6 June 2026). Management presents this “premium tier” as a way to fund accessibility. Opera regulars (loggionisti), however, object to a change to the seating map that they consider lacking in transparency.

Across the season, about 180,000 seats are sold at subsidised rates. Under-26s account for about 60% of them, and members of works councils and cultural circles for about 30% (Il Sole 24 Ore, May 2026). From 2027, residents of the Città Metropolitana di Milano coming to La Scala for the first time will be able to buy with a 50% discount.

Otello, Chung and Michieletto: what the evening presents

A work from 1887 on the 2026 programme

Verdi premiered Otello at the Teatro alla Scala on 5 February 1887, with Francesco Tamagno in the title role. Arrigo Boito’s libretto is based on Shakespeare (Wikipedia, Francesco Tamagno, consulted on 11 October 2026).

The 2026 production is by Damiano Michieletto, his eighth at La Scala and his first opening night. The sets are by Paolo Fantin, the costumes by Carla Teti and the lighting by Alessandro Carletti (official page of the evening).

Who sings on 7 December and after

• From 7 to 22 December: Brian Jagde (Otello), Luca Salsi (Iago) and Eleonora Buratto (Desdemona)
• On 29 December and 2 and 5 January: Arsen Soghomonyan (Otello), Roberto Frontali (Iago) and Roberta Mantegna (Desdemona)

The make-up of the title role. The superintendent (sovrintendente) Fortunato Ortombina has announced that Otello will not be painted black for the Prima: the traditional “blackface” make-up of the Moor is dropped (Il Fatto Quotidiano, 29 May 2026). He has said he accepts the risk of the reception: “if there are boos, we will take them”.

Myung-Whun Chung, a South Korean pianist and conductor born in Seoul in 1953, takes on his first season here as La Scala’s music director, succeeding Riccardo Chailly (Sky TG24, 29 May 2026; biography from the Accademia Ape Musicale).

On 20 December, Chung conducts Beethoven’s Ninth at the Christmas concert, with the theatre’s orchestra and chorus. We have not checked the price or the on-sale date for this concert.

Watching the Prima without a ticket: Rai, ARTE and other channels

The Rai Cultura press release, passed on by the theatre, announces a broadcast that goes well beyond Rai alone. The table lists the announced channels, country by country.

Source: Rai Cultura press release passed on by the Teatro alla Scala, checked on 11 October 2026. The release does not state its issue date.

The live broadcast on Rai 1 starts at 5:45 pm, half an hour before the curtain announced for 6:00 pm. RaiPlay keeps the evening available for 15 days. In France, ARTE broadcasts the evening, but the time had not been confirmed on the schedule at the date of checking: check it on the day.

To gauge the stakes of the broadcast: the 2025 Prima, Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, drew around one million viewers on Rai 1, a 6.4% audience share according to Auditel (CentroMeteoItaliano). Exact figures vary by count, so we keep “around one million”.

Milan on 7 December: Sant’Ambrogio, the long weekend and a closed museum

The feast of Milan’s patron saint

7 December is the feast of Saint Ambrose, Sant’Ambrogio, the city’s patron saint. Offices and schools are closed that day. In 2026 the date falls on a Monday, and the Immacolata, a national public holiday, falls on Tuesday 8 December: the four-day long weekend runs from Saturday 5 to Tuesday 8 December (Milanofree, 2026 bridge calendar). For the details of the long weekend, read our guide to the Immacolata long weekend 2026.

Mass is celebrated at the basilica of Sant’Ambrogio, according to the Ambrosian rite, the liturgy specific to Milan that bears his name. Ambrose, governor of the province of Emilia-Liguria, was acclaimed bishop by the people in 374 although he was not yet baptised; he received baptism, holy orders and consecration within a few days. The sources give 7 December as the date of his baptism and episcopal appointment. His emblem, the swarm of bees, recalls the legend of a child whose face was covered by bees without being stung (Milanofree, history of Sant’Ambrogio, consulted on 11 October 2026).

City programme not yet published. As of 11 October 2026, no official Sant’Ambrogio 2026 programme has been published. The Oh Bej! Oh Bej!, the historic fair near the Sforza Castle, is usually held around 5 to 8 December; its 2026 dates are not confirmed. Prima Diffusa, the free screenings of the evening across the city, has no 2026 programme in our sources.

The La Scala museum is closed that day

The Museo Teatrale alla Scala does not admit visitors on 7 December, the day of the Prima. On other days, the box office sells the tickets in the table below; the page does not say which year they are valid for.

Source: museoscala.org, box office and opening hours, checked on 11 October 2026. Members of Musei Lombardia, theatre subscribers and holders of the YesMilano City Pass enter free.

If you extend your stay north in Italy, our guide to the 2026 Christmas markets covers Bolzano, Merano, Trento and Bressanone.

Getting there: Malpensa, the metro and Piazza della Scala

From Malpensa airport, the Malpensa Express runs to Milano Centrale, but since 23 January 2026 its trains stop at Gallarate (details below). The fare of €15 single and €25 return, checked in July 2025 (The Flight Club, July 2025), does not say whether it covers this journey. The Trenord fare increase of September 2026 excludes the Malpensa Express, whose adjustment is postponed to summer 2027 (Saronnonews, 1 September 2026).

Since 23 January 2026, Malpensa Express trains from Milano Centrale run as far as Gallarate, and the Gallarate-Malpensa section is paid separately, amount not found (Missionline). Check your route on the day of travel.

From Centrale, the simplest option is the metro. Duomo station (lines M1 and M3) and Cordusio (M1) are a few minutes’ walk from Piazza della Scala. According to one practical guide, paper tickets have not been sold since 1 January 2026: pay with a rechargeable card or contactless, and check fares on atm.it.

Piazza della Scala faces the monument to Leonardo da Vinci, a short walk from the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.

Dress code: the theatre’s rule and the customs of the Prima

The text displayed by the theatre, quoted by Sky TG24 in July 2025, bars entry to people in vest tops, shorts or flip-flops. The theatre asks for suitable dress, respectful of the venue and of other spectators, and tickets are not refunded if the rule is not followed.

This text does not impose any evening dress. Black tie and the long gown belong to the customs of the Prima, as the photo galleries from the 2024 evening show: they are traditions, not obligations. Guides and ticket agencies that describe “evening dress compulsory” do not cite any official source.

The theatre also bans food and drink in the auditorium, and asks you to set electronic devices to silent during the performance.

What other guides don’t tell you

The travel guides we consulted date from 2016 to 2025. The points below come from official sources or press releases, checked on 11 October 2026.

• The evening is already listed as sold out. Guides recommend “booking in advance” without saying what the sale actually looks like. The official page lists the evening as sold out (opening-night page, checked on 11 October 2026).
• The museum is closed on 7 December. Guides list daily opening hours. The museum box office states its closing days, including 7 December (museoscala.org, checked on 11 October 2026).
• The dress rule is specific, and it does not require black tie. Guides talk about “compulsory evening dress”. The displayed text bans vest tops, shorts and flip-flops (Sky TG24, 6 July 2025, checked on 11 October 2026).
• The broadcast goes beyond Rai 1. RaiPlay keeps the evening for 15 days, ARTE broadcasts it in France, and Medici.tv announces it worldwide (Rai Cultura press release, checked on 11 October 2026).
• An Under 30 preview at €20 takes place on 4 December. Guides do not mention it. It is reserved for under-30s (theatre’s Under 30 page, checked on 11 October 2026).