Originally set to start on July 15, 2023, in Vancouver, the tour was postponed to October after Madonna developed a bacterial infection in late June which led to a multiple-day stay at an intensive care unit.

[16] Choreography was in charge of Marseille-based collective (La)Horde, consisting of Martina Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer, and Arthur Harel; Madonna heard of the trio through one of her dancers, and contacted them via Instagram.

'"[21] According to co-manager Sara Zambreno, the singer's vast catalogue proved to be a problem during the early stages of planning, with the team considering to do different tours each representing a decade: "It was an embarrassment of riches, of songs and visuals and costumes and videos to choose from.

[24] In late July 2023, Madonna expressed her gratitude for her fans, team, and family: "Thank you for your positive energy, prayers and words of healing and encouragement [...] My focus now is on my health and getting stronger and I assure you, I’ll be back with you as soon as I can!

Drawing on these elements, as well as the singer's 40-year long career, the stage was conceived as an abstract map of New York, with a network of B-stages and runways inspired by the streets and blocks of Manhattan —Uptown, Downtown, Midtown, East and West.

The team also came up with a kinetic, revolving, three-layered circular central stage that refers to both the wedding cake from Madonna's performance of "Like a Virgin" at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards and a clock's shape.

[39] Inspired by the original "Bedtime Story" music video, Massan's visual depicted "dreamy" landscapes, while Madonna's movements were recorded in real time and linked to an avatar that emulated them.

She went on to upload a series of stories of herself writing out potential tracks for the concerts, including songs like "Like a Virgin", "Papa Don't Preach" (1986), "Crazy For You" (1985), "Lucky Star" (1983), "Rescue Me" (1991), "Erotica" (1992), and "Bad Girl" (1993), among others.

[54] For the first act, which was based on 1980s New York, Fındıkoğlu came up with a "punky" tailcoat, inspired on one Madonna had worn during a performance in Japan; "it was a men’s coat that she got from a vintage store [...] [For the new one], we tricked it out, and added memorabilia and pins from the ’80s onto it", explained Yohannes.

[54][55] The show's final look was created by Versace with the intention of taking the singer to the metaverse; it is a silver catsuit with oversized shoulders that resembles an armor, made in the pattern of broken glass.

[20][54] Additional clothing included a denim mini-skirt draped in chains and cross charms, a blue leotard, fishnet tights, a white lace veil, and 40 pairs of boxing gloves; Yohannes designed a black kimono, which was worn with a halo-style headpiece by House of Malakai.

[54] In early October 2023, Madonna teamed up with fashion brand Ministry of Tomorrow to launch a limited edition line of merchandise, set to be sold both online and at a handful of venues the tour would visit.

After a DJ set, the concert begins with an introduction by Bob the Drag Queen, who walks to the stage throught the audience wearing a Marie Antoinette inspired dress, similar to the one worn by Madonna during the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards performance of "Vogue".

"Holiday" is performed underneath a disco ball on the circular stage, set up to resemble Danceteria and Paradise Garage, as Bob plays as a bouncer who won't let Madonna enter the club.

Mashed up with Madonna's own "Act of Contrition", and "Unholy" (2022) by Sam Smith and Kim Petras, it is performed atop a rotating carousel with crosses depicting a chapel, and dancers as half naked crucifixes.

Dancers march onstage dressed as different incarnations of the singer, whilst Madonna herself wears a blue corset and gloves, lace veil, and heavy jewelry, similar to the artwork shown before the concert.

[70] He was pleased with the participation of Bob the Drag Queen, and the show's "spectacular set-pieces [that reference] iconic highlights from Madonna’s reign", such as "Vogue", "Bedtime Story", and "Ray of Light".

[70] Rolling Stone UK's Nick Reilly deemed the concert, "two hours of overblown, indulgent fun that refuses to dance to the beat of anyone else’s drum"; he also singled out the performances, particularly "Holiday" and "Live to Tell", which he classified as "the first powerful moment of the night".

[71] Celebration is a "spectacular, ambitious and occasionally bemusing" concert, according to The Arts Desk's Thomas H. Green, who also praised "Live to Tell", "Hung Up", and "Vogue", which he named the best moment of the night.

[76] Shaad D’Souza from Pitchfork described Celebration as "an Architectural Digest of the [Madonna] archives, as she shimmied across three catwalks, stepping into sets that echoed past tours and iconic moments", commenting that her voice sounded the best it has "since Ray of Light".

[77] D'Souza nonetheless, observed that although the show wasn't as "meticulous and highly conceptual" as the singer's past tours, "[that] was also [its] greatest strength, allowing for brilliant choreographed moments [...] and sections that felt off-the-cuff.

[69] The inclusion of "The Beast Within" was criticized both by Snapes and Reilly; the latter deemed it "overlong", and added that, "[w]hen hits like ‘Papa Don’t Preach’ are tonight relegated to a mere intro, you wonder if it's worth it".

[71] For USA Today, Melissa Ruggieri called the tour an "effective commemoration of a woman who has fulfilled every accomplishment, yet still possesses a scrappy drive", and placed "Holiday", "La Isla Bonita", "Vogue", and "Like a Prayer" among the night's best numbers.

[85] Metro Weekly's André Hereford deemed it a "high-energy, heartfelt" concert that was "executed with straightforward technical prowess", and highlighted "Everybody", "Live to Tell", "Bad Girl", and "Ray of Light".

[86] For Craig C. Semon from the Telegram & Gazette, Celebration is "pure, unabashed Madonna, embracing her glorious past while taking a stranglehold on the future", considering the spectacle as a "theatrical show about the pop icon's life".

[90] For the Chicago Tribune's Bob Gendron, the concert was "ambitious, sexy, inclusive, buoyant, vibrant, defiant and, on occasion, messy, awkward, and overly busy [...] the very traits that define Madonna’s career".

[96] The television program Fantástico mentioned that during "Like A Virgin/Billie Jean", Madonna heard the biggest chorus of her career and ended by saying that: "Copacabana, Rio and Brazil celebrated not only an extraordinary artist, but also what she represents: boldness, courage and freedom".

[99] On January 19, 2024, Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden, two men who attended the Barclays Center concert on December 13, 2023, filed a lawsuit against Madonna for having started the show two hours later than the time listed on tickets.

[103] Another lawsuit was filed in Washington D.C. three months later after the first one, where attendees accused Madonna of showing "total disrespect for her fans" and "forcing [them] to wait hours for her performance in a hot, uncomfortable arena".

[101] Despite reports of the tickets' high price, additional dates were added in London, New York, Seattle, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Francisco, and Las Vegas.