Calendar 2024January
Six new nations join the BRICS grouping of big emerging economies, turning it into BRICS+. Existing members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will be joined by Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The earliest version of Mickey Mouse enters the public domain. Under American copyright law, characters are only protected for 95 years after initial publication. However, Mickey Mouse has been through many iterations and design updates since making his first appearance in “Steamboat Willie” in 1928, and Disney retains the rights to all later versions of the character.
A global minimum corporation-tax rate of 15% comes into force, under a deal struck by 130 countries in 2021. Some countries will start collecting “top up” taxes from big firms that use legal loopholes to shift profits to tax havens with lower rates.
Presidential elections take place in Taiwan, the self-governing island China claims as its own. The result will affect relations across the Taiwan Strait and the level of US-China tensions.
February
Chinese New Year is celebrated, as the year of the wood dragon begins. Those born under this sign are said to be creative, curious and determined—and frank.
Super Bowl LVIII takes place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the first time the city has hosted the event.
Indonesia, the world’s third largest democracy, holds presidential and legislative elections, on Valentine’s Day.
March
The Formula One season kicks off in Bahrain, with the race running on a Saturday, rather than Sunday—a first for the kingdom. This is to allow the second race of the season, a week later in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to take place before the start of Ramadan.
The 13th African Games begin in Ghana. The games were due to take place in 2023 but were postponed after construction delays and a dispute over marketing rights.
The 96th Academy Awards take place in Los Angeles. Who will the Oscars go to?
April
A total eclipse of the sun, dubbed the Great North American Eclipse, will be visible across the continent. The path of the shadow of totality, in which the Sun is entirely covered by the Moon, runs from the Pacific coast of Mexico to South Bird Island off the coast of Newfoundland.
The spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank take place in Washington, DC.
National Marmalade Week is celebrated, stickily, in Britain. It aims to encourage people to taste marmalade, and make their own.
May
Celebrations begin to mark the bicentenary of the National Gallery in London. Museums and galleries in each of the United Kingdom’s 12 regions will display an iconic painting from the National Gallery, ensuring that more than half the population is within an hour’s journey of a national treasure. The bicentenary programme also includes a blockbuster Van Gogh exhibition, which is due to open in September.
The final of the Eurovision Song Contest takes place in Malmö, Sweden, the seventh time the country has hosted the contest.
The Great Wall Marathon, along a route that includes ramparts of the Great Wall of China, takes place near Beijing.
China is scheduled to launch Chang’e 6, a sample-return mission involving a robotic lander, to the far side of the Moon. The mission will also carry scientific instruments from France, Italy, Pakistan and Sweden.
June
The men’s Twenty20 World Cup begins, hosted jointly by the United States and the West Indies. Cricket fans hope it will be a coming-out party for the sport in America. The women’s Twenty20 World Cup follows in September.
Global Running Day is celebrated, to encourage people around the world to get moving, both for fun and for the good of their health.
Heads of state, war veterans and officials gather on Omaha Beach in Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings during the second world war.
Elections for the European Parliament take place in the EU’s 27 member states, to elect representatives to the newly expanded 720-seat chamber.
The Euro 2024 football tournament kicks off in Germany. A week later, the Copa América tournament begins in the United States.
July
Leaders of NATO countries gather in Washington, DC for their annual summit as the expanded alliance marks its 75th anniversary.
The Republican Party formally nominates its candidate for America’s presidential election at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The choice of location reflects the importance of the Midwest as a crucial electoral battleground.
The 2024 Olympics begin with an opening ceremony on the River Seine in Paris, 100 years since the summer games were last held in the city. Breakdancing (also known as breaking) will be included for the first time.
August
The new city of Nusantara is formally inaugurated as the capital of Indonesia, replacing Jakarta. The ceremony takes place on Indonesian Independence Day. Construction of the city began in 2022 and is due to be completed in 2045.
The Democratic Party formally nominates its candidate for America’s presidential election at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago—a location chosen, as with the Republican convention, owing to the importance of the Midwest in determining the election’s outcome.
The Paralympic Games begin in Paris.
September
The United Nations “Summit of the Future” convenes in New York. Delegates will consider the reform of multilateral bodies and global governance, with the aim of enhancing co-operation on climate change and other critical challenges.
Japan’s space agency, JAXA, is due to launch its MMX (Martian Moons Exploration) mission to explore Phobos and Deimos, the tiny moons of Mars. The probe will attempt to land on Phobos in 2025 to collect rock samples for return to Earth in 2029.
October
Jimmy Carter, America’s longest-lived president, is due to celebrate his 100th birthday.
The final race of the 37th Americas Cup takes place in Barcelona. The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron is defending the title, in the oldest competition in international sport.
The inaugural Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo takes to the stage in several venues across Hong Kong. It aims to foster artistic and cultural exchange between Hong Kong, mainland China and the world.
The Worldwide Music Expo (WOMEX), the international music industry’s biggest conference, takes place in Manchester, England.
The main annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank take place in Washington, DC.
America’s space agency, NASA, is due to launch Europa Clipper, a probe that will study the habitability of one of Jupiter’s largest moons. Europa is thought to have a subsurface ocean that could potential harbour alien life. The probe is due to arrive at Jupiter in 2030.
November
The world will be watching as Americans go to the polls to elect a president and determine who controls Congress. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives, along with 34 out of 100 seats in the Senate, will be contested. The governorships of 13 states and territories are also up for grabs.
The COP29 climate conference takes place. The choice of host country was delayed after Russia objected to any EU country being selected.
More than half a century since humans last visited the Moon, America’s Artemis II mission is due to blast off, sending four astronauts looping around the back of the Moon. The crew—which will include the first black man, first woman and first non-American to leave Earth orbit—will not attempt to land.
December
India’s space agency, ISRO, is due to launch the Shukrayaan space probe to Venus. It will be the first mission to Earth’s “evil twin” planet since Japan’s Akatsuki in 2010. The probe will study the chemistry of Venus’s atmosphere and look for signs of phosphine, which is thought to be present, and is normally associated with life.
Sometime in late 2024
The European Union is expected to start rolling out its “Entry-Exit System” (EES), a registration scheme requiring non-EU citizens to scan their passports when entering the Schengen free-travel area. EES was due to launch in 2022 but its roll-out has been delayed until after the Paris Olympics.
