The Year Ahead: What’s On in 2026

Editorial Assistant, Amy Shelton, reports on everything happening in 2026.

Get ready for a new year filled with sporting action and entertainment buzz. As calendars are organised and New Year’s resolutions are shared, 2026 has plenty of big changes and events to jot down. 

MQ UNI

Proposed changes to staffing and courses: Macquarie University has proposed changes to the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Science and Engineering in 2026 [1]. The aim is for more ‘streamlined’ courses, majors and specialisations. MQ also plans to introduce new course offerings, discontinue courses with low enrolment, and restructure courses for future enrolments. The university assures that enrolled students won’t be significantly affected and will be able to complete their degree. 

SPORTS

FIFA World Cup: 11 June–19 July, United States, Canada and Mexico

The Winter Olympics: 6–22 February, Northern Italy

The Winter Paralympic Games: 6–15 March, Northern Italy

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup: 7 February–8 March, India and Sri Lanka

The Commonwealth Games: 23 July–2 August, Glasgow, Scotland

CULTURAL

The Lunar New Year (17 February 2026–5 February 2027): Beginning with the New Moon on 17 February, the Lunar New Year welcomes the year of the Fire Horse [2]. 

Laneway Festival (5 February–15 February): The festival is taking place in locations across Australia and New Zealand. Headlining the festival is Chappell Roan, with PinkPantheress, Role Model and Wolf Alice also performing [3].

Australian Tours: Top artists touring Australia include Ed Sheeran who is touring Australia for the sixth time in January, February and March [4]. Lorde also brings her Ultrasound tour to Australia in February and Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny performs in Sydney on 28 February and 1 March [5][6]. 

BTS returns (20 March): Global superstars BTS are set to return to the stage and the studio after a hiatus from their music careers to complete mandatory military service [7]. 

The Super Bowl LX  halftime show: performance by Bad Bunny (8 February).

Film Releases [8]: The Odyssey (14 July), Wuthering Heights (13 Feb), The Devil Wears Prada 2 (1 May), Toy Story 5 (19 June),  Dune: Part Three (18 Dec).

NATIONAL & WORLD POLITICS

Tax Changes: The Australian Government will be delivering tax cuts this year. From 1 July of this year, Australian taxpayers will receive a tax cut of up to $268. The rate for taxable income for earners between $18,201 and $45,000 is also being reduced from 17% to 16% [9].

Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) Changes: for medicines listed on the PBS, the amount a patient must pay for the medication reduces from $31.60 to $25 [10].

Elections in Two States: Victoria will have its state election on 28 November, whilst South Australia has their state election on 21 March.

United States Leaves the World Health Organization (22 January): Donald Trump signed an executive order in January 2025 to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization. This decision will cause the organisation to lose the large chunk of its funding that previously came from the United States. This comes after Trump accuses the organisation of  incompetence when handling the COVID-19 pandemic [11].

by Amy Shelton

References:

[1] Mq.edu.au. (2025). Proposed curriculum changes 2026 | Macquarie University, Sydney. https://students.mq.edu.au/study/faculties/proposed-curriculum-changes

[2] Carter, J. (2025). Here’s The Date For Chinese New Year 2026 — And What Animal You Are. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2025/12/30/heres-the-date-for-chinese-new-year-2026---and-what-animal-you-are/

[3] Live Music Australia (2025). Laneway Festival 2026: Full Lineup and Dates Revealed - Live Music Australia - Gig Guide & Music Festivals Calendar. Live Music Australia - Gig Guide & Music Festivals Calendar. https://livemusic.com.au/laneway-festival-2026-full-lineup-and-dates-revealed/.

[4] Hook, C. (2025). Ed Sheeran reveals Australian tour dates. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/ed-sheeran-reveals-australian-tour-dates-20250722-p5mh06.html. 

[5] McNamara, L. (2025). New Tickets for Lorde’s Australia and New Zealand Tour Released. Rolling Stone Australia. https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/lorde-ultrasound-tour-australia-new-zealand-new-tickets-86868/ 

[6] Condon, D. (2025). Bad Bunny to play Sydney concerts in February 2026. ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-06/bad-bunny-australia-tour-2026-sydney-tickets/105258294 

[7] Sherman, M. (2026). After nearly four years, BTS announces their return to the stage. [online] The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/bts-kpop-music-hiatus-return-stage-b2893753.html 

[8] Galuppo, M. and Canfield, D. (2025). The Most Anticipated Movies of 2026. The Hollywood Reporter. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/2026-new-movie-releases/.

[9] The Australian Government (2025). Budget 2025-26. https://budget.gov.au/content/factsheets/download/factsheet-new-tax-cuts.pdf. 

[10] Services Australia (2026). The cost of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medicines is changing. Services Australia. https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/cost-pharmaceutical-benefits-scheme-pbs-medicines-changing.

[11] Al Jazeera (2025). United Nations confirms US will leave World Health Organization in 2026. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/24/united-nations-confirms-us-will-leave-world-health-organization-in-2026