Some years you live through. And some years live through you.
2026 seems to belong to the latter category: it’s one of those years that enters your home without ringing the bell, opens the fridge, serves itself, sits on the couch, and says: — “Let me tell you which movie I’ve decided we’ll watch tonight.”
Before you can distance yourself and confidently declare, “I am not influenced by current events,” the calendar throws five or six upcoming “global events” at you like app notifications you don’t remember installing.
Let’s look at the 5+1 events we expect this year that are worthy of mention and attention:
Winter Olympics (like the regular ones but with snow and skis)
February 6–22, Milano Cortina.
For two weeks (which will include Valentine’s Day, help us), we’ll pretend we’re experts in downhill skiing, biathlon, and other sports that sound like they were invented by someone who ate snow instead of cereal for breakfast.
We’ll talk about “techniques,” “lines,” “turns”… as if we’re skiers ourselves, fooling ourselves with this substitute for the regular Olympics which will honor us in 2028.
P.S. In March, there will be the Winter Paralympics. Subtitle: “This is what strength looks like.”
Artemis II: “Flying to the Moon,” but can’t find parking
Sometime before (and not later than) April 2026, NASA says we’re going Artemis II.
The Mykonos of space vacations. In short, humanity will do that thing again that reminds us we can reach far. Even if we insist on circling around the same prejudices and hang-ups.
We have this wonderful talent to leave Earth but can’t step outside our mental boxes where we voluntarily participate in mind games.
World Cup: three countries, 48 teams, 104 matches and a living room turned into a stadium
June 11 – July 19, 2026.
This year we’ll have the first World Cup with 48 teams, hosted in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
We’ve increased the teams and still won’t have representation. What needs to happen? Only Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, San Marino, and us aren’t participating.
Football will do what it almost always does successfully: It will separate couples, unite strangers, create expert analysts who yesterday didn’t know offside from off-season. The next day we’ll all analyze “transitions” and “built-up” attacks together.
A key bonus in football, especially in a World Cup: When a ball hits the net, people feel something finally went right in their lives.
Eclipse: Like Paschalis’ “Turn Off the Moon” but in the morning.
August 12, 2026. Total eclipse path touching Greenland–Iceland–Portugal–northern Spain.
For a few minutes, people will stop pretending they’re running because they want to and will look up for a moment.
Not us. The phenomenon won’t honor us here.
We said: From Greenland to at most Spain. Pilgrimage-like trips will be set up as if we live in the Middle Ages (what do you mean: “as if?”). Photos will be taken. We’ll be collectively moved as if at a graduation ceremony for our youngest and then return to our favorite eclipse: that of empathy.
Midterms in the USA: The reality show affecting the entire structure
November 3, 2026.
America votes again midterm. All countries have an electoral process every 4 or 5 years; the USA has an interim one so they don’t miss it: -Ahhh, I know what I missed; Going behind a curtain to vote for someone…
And as always an interim election in the USA is an event you don’t participate in but indirectly affects you. Like a neighbor blasting music: they didn’t invite you to the party, but to sleep you need pillows over each ear.
These are the five events expected globally in 2026 (among other significant ones), but amidst all this we have our own event. Which others may not await except us, but we anticipate with great anxiety, interest, and curiosity about how the island’s political map is shaping up. And that event is none other than:
Parliamentary elections on May 24 — our grand event of dissonance (Eurovision has nothing on us)
The time is coming for local forces to compete for a big slice of influence and impression games. Days when we identify all problems answered with more promises than ever before.
An important aspect will be how many frustrated citizens consider far-right as a bulwark against evil. The same delusion many European countries fell for recently. You see it became fashionable since Donald of our hearts rose to power there in the United States. It’s like hating people of different colors and religions became trendy and must-wear while infusing racism and lack of freedom into our being.
Simultaneously we’ll see if traditional forces managed to absorb public frustration shocks if indeed fresh alternatives with prospects exist or if democracy’s name was exploited or borrowed.
<
We’ll see and wait.
