England is set for a blockbuster year in 2026, with period dramas shining on screen, sporting must-watches, stunning hotel openings and a serious dose of wellness activations taking place across the country
Happy birthday to Beatrix Potter and Winnie-the-Pooh
2026 marks 160 years since the birth of Beatrix Potter, whose charming children’s stories and illustrations will forever be associated with the Lake District – so look out for special events throughout the region. Winnie-the-Pooh will also turn 100, with celebrations at East Sussex’s Ashdown Forest (the inspiration behind Hundred Acre Wood) and a touring exhibition of illustrations, manuscripts and memorabilia at Nymans, Tatton Park and Anglesey Abbey.
Period dramas shine on screen
According to Expedia, 81% of Gen Z and Millennials plan trips around locations featured in their favourite films and TV. This year you can incorporate time-travelling too, with several high-profile costume dramas hitting our screens. In January, the movie adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet will bring Shakespeare’s family to life – while showcasing the rural beauty of Herefordshire, where it was filmed.
Other highlights include the new Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man movie (Birmingham; Mar), a fourth season of Bridgerton (Surrey, Bath and London; Jan), and the Wuthering Heights movie starring Margot Robbie (Hertfordshire and Yorkshire; Feb). Netflix will present a fresh look at Pride and Prejudice (filmed in London, the Peak District and East Sussex), and a new film of Sense and Sensibility is currently in production – both release dates TBC.
Football fever
England always has football fever (after all, the modern game originated here!) but 2026 will be an exceptional year for the sport. Attending a Premier League game has been named one of Lonely Planet‘s Best in Travel Experiences for 2026, for its “unique window into the country’s passions and character” – while the 2026 FIFA World Cup will kick off across the Atlantic in June.
On home turf, Manchester City FC’s Etihad Stadium will unveil its full £300m redevelopment, including a new museum, fan zone and The Medlock, a 401-room hotel (late 2026), and Everton FC’s Hill Dickinson Stadium will continue its behind-the-scenes stadium tours (which launched in September 2025). Brighton & Hove Albion FC will celebrate its 125th birthday in August with a new exhibition at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery – a truly inspirational tale of football’s underdogs – while Burslem’s Port Vale FC will kick off the year with its 150th anniversary match on 4 January.
Fans of Apple TV’s footie favourite Ted Lasso can look forward to the fourth series (summer) after the cast were spotted filming in Richmond this September. Also looking ahead, Gurinder Chadha’s sequel to Bend it Like Beckham will hit cinemas in 2027 and England’s stadiums will be preparing for the arrival of UEFA EURO 2028, with matches set to take place in Manchester, London, Liverpool, Newcastle and Birmingham in June and July 2028.
Seaside celebrations
Take to the seaside! England’s coastline will see new openings and anniversaries galore this year – including the 20th instalment of the Isles of Scilly’s Walk Scilly festival (April), the 200th year of Cowes Week sailing regatta on the Isle of Wight (August) and the 90th birthday of Butlins. As Hull prepares to unveil the final phase of its £30m new attractions honouring its 800 years of seafaring history (spring), the city has been crowned one of National Geographic‘s Best Places in the World to Travel in 2026.
On the North West coast, Southport 2026 will see the historic seaside town host a year-long programme of circus, theatre, art and music performances – such as Lightport (Feb), a light installation casting rainbows across the town. On Eric Morecambe’s 100th birthday, Morecambe in Lancashire will celebrate its famous son with a comedy extravaganza (May) and The Bay International Film Festival will return to the town in January. Meanwhile, Blackpool Pleasure Beach will mark its 130th birthday and launch its new Aviktas “gyro swing” ride: a giant spinning pendulum, the first of its kind in the UK (TBC 2026) and the town’s Royal Carlton Hotel will also be restored to its former glory in spring, a timely renaissance for the Art Deco icon.
Folkestone’s heritage Leas Lift cliff railway will reopen in spring, while London’s Southbank Centre marks its 75th anniversary, with its A Poet in Every Port project which will see the National Poetry Library hit the road, bringing year-round performances and workshops to seaside towns including South Shields, Southend, Great Yarmouth and Penzance. And the final sections of the King Charles III England Coast Path are due to open in spring, when it will become the world’s longest continual seaside hiking route: a whopping 2,700 miles (4,498km) running the length of England’s coast.
See the world’s sports stars in England
There’s plenty for the sporting addicts too. Beyond England’s football fever, we’re gearing up for the cricket ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 which will be held in Bristol, Manchester, Leeds, London, Birmingham and Southampton (June and July), Birmingham’s European Athletics Championships (Aug) and the Formula E World Championship final (Aug) in London.
For something a little different, look to the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield (Jan) and the Paddleboarding World Cup (yes, really!) on the English Riviera (May). E-sports are also taking off, with the launch of Sunderland’s Gaming and Esports Arena (spring) and the DreamHack and ESL One tournaments in Birmingham (Mar).
Indulge with new spas, saunas and water wellness
Wellness has never been so popular. There’s a wealth of new ways to relax, from saunas and ice baths at Sheffield’s Scandi-style Güs wellness hub and Norwich’s The Lion’s Den rooftop, to home-grown vinotherapy spa treatments at Horsham’s South Lodge hotel – all recently launched in winter 2025.
Yorkshire’s Gisborough Hall and Bath’s Francis Hotel will open new spas in spring, while in summer Canary Wharf will make a splash with Sea Lanes lido pool – created by the team behind Sea Lanes Brighton, the UK’s first National Open Water Swimming Centre. Thermae Bath Spa will mark its 20th anniversary with special events and treatments, and Cambridge House, Auberge Collection – a new hotel in Mayfair – will debut its two-storey wellness centre in spring.
Top hotel launches across England
Staycations are calling too. From five-star suites to rural retreats, a huge range of new hotels will open across England this year. In Derbyshire, Chatsworth Estate will open a new hotel and restaurant The Hide, while CABÜ in the Cotswolds will debut low-carbon cabins featuring hot tubs, saunas and plunge pools (spring). For the first time in its 41-year history, The Groucho Club is set to venture outside the capital with a new hotel and members’ club in West Yorkshire (TBC 2026).
Luxury hospitality brand Fairmont will launch Fairmont Cheshire The Mere in Knutsford (summer) – and in Bristol, Hotel Gotham Bristol will transform the city’s historic Guildhall into a lavish new landmark hotel (early 2026). For a country escape, Dumbleton Hall in the Cotswolds will open shepherds’ huts and treehouses in spring, and New Forest hotel Chewton Glen will mark its 60th birthday after revamping its suites and dining last year.
High-profile London launches include Fitzrovia’s The Newman (early 2026) and Mayfair’s Cambridge House, Auberge Collection (spring) – plus the hotly anticipated Waldorf Astoria Admiralty Arch in the iconic Admiralty Arch (spring).
Soul nourishment: Slow down and savour
England has a bumper crop of new slow-food openings this year, including Chatsworth Estate‘s The Hide hotel and restaurant (spring) and the first wine tastings at Yorkshire’s Loversall Vineyard (winter). Just in time for spring and summer, CABÜ in the Cotswolds – featuring low-energy but high-style timber cabins – will also offer a “sitooterie” for al fresco barbecues, dining and gatherings.
Celebrities are getting in on the action, too: after all, Sir David Beckham is now a professional beekeeper, and Beyonce and Jay Z are reportedly moving to the Cotswolds! For farm-to-fork dining, book Guy Ritchie’s new WildKitchen experience at Herefordshire’s Rosemaund Farm Distillery, with a guided tour, tasting and fire-cooked lunch of hyper-local cuisine (Feb). In Surrey, Simon Stallard of Cornwall’s Hidden Hut will launch The Fire Club (Jan) at The Walled Garden bringing long-table open fire feasts and guest-chef residencies.
The menu at Freyja, a new restaurant with rooms on Northumberland’s Close House Estate, will feature organic produce grown on the estate (autumn), while the Bamford Group – of Daylesford Organic Farm fame – will open the first phase of its hotel in the Cotswolds village of Kingham (2026–28).
Other foodie highlights include Wiltshire’s new wine-led hotel Corsham House (Feb), seasonal Cotswolds fare at the renovated Wild Duck pub (spring), and the multi-million-pound gastro redevelopment of County Durham’s Rockliffe Hall – which will include a new fine-dining restaurant (TBC 2026).
Seeking stillness: Gardens, forests and outdoor art
Silence is golden this year, with a growing appetite for getaways that offer genuine tranquillity. According to the VisitEngland Domestic Sentiment Tracker*, 39% of people say they simply “want to get away from it all and have a rest” – while research by Booking.com indicates that 25% of us are planning trips to embrace “quieter” hobbies such as foraging and wildlife watching.
British solitude seekers needn’t venture far, for there are new peaceful joys popping up all over England – including an outdoor exhibition of Henry Moore’s sculptures at Kew Gardens and Wakehurst (May to Sep) and the opening of RHS Chinese Streamside Garden at RHS Garden Bridgewater, Salford (TBC 2026).
Kielder Forest in Northumberland, England’s biggest woodland, will celebrate its 100th anniversary too: a glorious location for birdwatching, watersports and spotting red squirrels, while Kielder Castle will reopen with new facilities in summer.
*Those planning to take a domestic overnight trip Jan-March 2026. Published November 2025; for the full report visit visitbritain.org
