The MediaCat team has been devouring every calendar we can find looking for any event, anniversary or happening that brands can take part in. Here are our top picks for the year ahead.
50th anniversary of the death of Agatha Christie (12 January)
Social media users love to play armchair detective and race the comments section to the next breakthrough. The anniversary of this mystery-writing great could be a real opportunity for brands to get creative and reap the spoils.
Launch of Artemis II (5 February)
In 2026, man will visit the moon for the first time in over fifty years. With the launch of the Artemis II mission schedules for between 5 February and April. expect a boost in interest in all things space.
Winter Olympics (6 February)
Italy’s hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, which always raises the profile of winter sports and alpine travel. The 2024 Games in Paris showed the meme potential of the Olympics, so keep your eyes peeled and be ready to hijack pop-culture moments. Who’ll be this tournament’s Yusuf Dikeç?
Global Sports Pickleball Event in India and Dubai (9 March)
Pickleball leagues and associations around the world formed a global alliance in 2025, creating a unified ranking scheme and schedule for tournaments. Participation in the sport is growing massively. In 2024, 19.8 million Americans played pickleball – making it more popular than baseball. Maybe 2026 will be the year it breaks through as a spectator sport too.
Europe’s Strongest Man, in Leeds (11 April)
The Grand Sumo Tournament in London was an unexpected cultural hit in 2025 and a successful investment for the sponsor, Kikkoman soy sauce. Europe’s Strongest Man has all the right ingredients to replicate that success.
Women’s Six Nations 2026 (11 April)
England’s victory over Canada in the Women’s World Cup in 2025 was the most-watched rugby match of the year with 5.8 million viewers tuning in across TV and streaming, according to BBC Sport. Expect similar levels of excitement if the Red Roses can keep their winning streak in 2026.
Masters of the Universe (5 June)
The live-action He-man film is a bit of a gamble, to be honest. On the one hand, Mattel bottled lightning with the marketing for its Barbie movie. On the other hand, Jared Leto’s in it…
FIFA Men’s World Cup (11 June)
The 2026 World Cup will be bigger than ever, with 16 more teams competing. The tournament is being hosted in three different countries (the USA, Canada, and Mexico) for the first time, too – all of which mean less than ideal start times for viewers in Europe.
250th Anniversary of the United States (4 July)
This is an Independence Day that brands can’t miss (because they’ll probably get slapped with a Trump tariff if they do).
Ariana Grande’s first UK tour since 2019 (15 August)
Seven years after the Sweetener World Tour grossed over $146.4 million, Ariana Grande is bringing her Eternal Sunshine Tour to the UK, capitalising on the star’s post-Wicked boost in fame.
The 90s at Tate Britain (1 October)
Nostalgia sells, and this Tate Britain exhibition, curated by Edward Enninful OBE, will give marketers an opportunity to tap into the cultural yearning for 90s art, fashion, music and design.
Grand Theft Auto VI (19 November)
The most anticipated game of the decade finally arrives in November, assuming it doesn’t get delayed (again). Rockstar Games has already spent more than $1 billion developing GTA VI, but there’s a near-zero percent chance they’ll lose money on this one. Expect sales records to be shattered and a bump for consoles too.
Avenges: Doomsday (18 December)
Following Disney’s latest series of acquisitions, Doomsday will bring together more superhero teams than ever before, with characters from the 90s X-Men films and the 2000s Fantastic Four movies joining the case of the 2010s Marvel Cinematic Universe. As such, this instalment has the potential to attract audiences from a wide range of demographics. And as far as we’re aware, Jared Leto isn’t in it.
Get More end-of-year insights by downloading the free 2025 MediaCat annual here.