Moving forwards: events shaping the future of 2021

Eurovision Song Contest

May 18

Held annually, 41 countries are lined up to participate in the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest taking place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, the 2019 winner of the contest. The contest is one of the longest-running internationally televised competitions and represents not only a variety of music genres, but also a variety of up-and-coming artists and songwriters.

UEFA European Championship and Copa América

June 11

Rife with anticipation and excitement, 2021 will see two major football championships running concurrently in South America and Europe. The UEFA European Championship’s opening game will be held at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome while Copa America’s first game will be held at the Estadio Monumento in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony

July 23

The summer edition of the 2020 Olympics, Japan’s fourth time hosting the event, is set to open in the revamped National Stadium in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. Organizers of the events plan to use as many competition venues from past Olympic games, aligning with one of the fundamental, central themes of this year’s Olympics: passing on the legacy for tomorrow.

2020 World Expo

Oct. 1

An international gathering of over 190 countries to create a global stage for unfolding each country’s culture and achievements, the 2020 World Expo opens in Dubai, the first Middle-Eastern country to host a World Expo. The global event will bring to life a world reflecting the central themes of this year’s historic event: opportunity, mobility, and sustainability.

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launch

Oct. 31

The JWST’s development began in 1996, experiencing several delays and cost overruns during the process. Though completed in 2016, the JWST saw extensive testing that it is still undergoing now in preparation for its launch in October. The successor to the 1990 Hubble telescope, JWST will allow examination of the universe in closer detail and expand their observations to farther reaches.

Eurovision Song Contest

Nov. 1

Spearheading the global effort to mitigate and address climate change, the COP26 is being held in Glasgow, United Kingdom. COP26 will also be the first time the signatories of the 2015 Paris Agreement evaluate the collective progress towards the agreed goals outlined in the international treaty in the planned quinquennial “global stocktake,” allowing for measures to be taken.