Laura Ratliff

A planear as suas viagens para o novo ano? Deve, sem dúvida, contar com aqueles clássicos da bucket list, mas se procura inspiração fresca, 2026 promete um mundo de experiências totalmente novas. Desde dormir num museu ao ar livre até percorrer paisagens ancestrais em e-bikes, fazer zipline sobre magníficas reservas naturais e festejar durante um eclipse solar – sim, a sério – há dezenas de experiências fora do circuito habitual e fora da caixa a acontecer nos próximos 12 meses. Pelos quatro cantos do mundo, a Time Out escolheu as 26 coisas mais incríveis, surpreendentes e emocionantes para fazer em 2026. Recomendado: Podes vir, 2026. Temos as melhores agendas para planear o novo ano

Planning your travels for the new year? You should absolutely factor in those long-standing bucket list entries, but if you’re looking for some fresh inspiration, 2026 promises a world of brand-new travel experiences.  From sleeping over in an open-air museum to journeying through ancient landscapes on e-bikes, ziplining over glorious wildlife reserves and partying through a solar eclipse – yes, really – there’s a shedload of off-the-beaten-track, out-of-the-box stuff happening over the next 12 months. Scroll on for our handpicked selection of the 26 coolest, weirdest and most exciting things to do in 2026.  RECOMMENDED:🎶 The biggest and best music festivals in 2026🛍️ The coolest streets in the world🏘️ The coolest neighbourhoods in the world🌃 The best cities in the world right now Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world.

South Florida doesn’t do winter. At least, not the frosty, scarf-necessary, hot-cocoa-as-survival-fuel kind. Which is why the return of real-ice skating to downtown West Palm Beach feels like a minor miracle powered by equal parts holiday spirit and serious refrigeration tech. Winter Wonderland is back at The Ben Hotel starting November 1, transforming the waterfront lawn into a glittering holiday playground with twinkling trees, Aspen-style chalets and, of course, a 50-by-66-foot rink made of the real stuff. Yes, ice. In Palm Beach. Again. Last year’s debut drew more than 30,000 skaters, proving locals are more than ready to trade sand for snowflakes, at least in theory. Around the rink, expect plenty of festive distractions: chalet vendors slinging gifts and sweets; a holiday bar for hot chocolate, s’mores, grown-up toddies and the debut of a Holiday Tree Forest created in partnership with local nonprofits, including Habitat for Humanity and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County. There will also be themed events like Live Music Saturdays and Santa Sundays, ornament-making workshops and an opening-day curling exhibition (yes, Palm Beach now has curling athletes and, no, the tropics do not care about your winter stereotypes). When is Winter Wonderland at The Ben Hotel? Skating runs daily from November 1 through January 4 from 10am to 9pm. How much are tickets? Entry is free unless you’re lacing up, in which case tickets start at $25 for adults and $10 for kids 11 and

Talking Heads frontman, Broadway innovator and all-around creative polymath David Byrne is once again blurring the line between art and science, this time in the middle of downtown Chicago. “Theater of the Mind” is Byrne’s latest experiment in perception, identity and theatrical immersion—and it’s happening inside a real office space. Created with writer and philanthropist Mala Gaonkar, the 15,000-square-foot experience invites audiences of just 16 at a time to explore a series of rooms designed to mess with your senses and make you question, well, yourself.

For more than four decades, returning a soda can or a water bottle in New York has earned exactly the same reward: 5 cents. Now, lawmakers in Albany are considering whether that nickel should finally get an upgrade. A proposal known as the “Bigger, Better Bottle Bill” would double the state’s bottle deposit to 10 cents per container, the first increase since New York’s bottle-return system took effect in 1983. The legislation would also expand the types of drinks that qualify for deposits, potentially pulling billions of additional containers into the state’s recycling system each year. New York’s existing law, officially called the Returnable Container Act, requires a deposit on containers for carbonated soft drinks, beer and certain bottled water. Consumers pay the deposit when they buy a beverage and get it back when they return the empty container to a retailer or redemption center. The proposed update would broaden the definition of a “beverage” to include many drinks that weren’t common when the law was first written—things like sports drinks, iced teas and flavored waters. The bill defines beverages as both carbonated and non-carbonated drinks intended for human consumption, including products such as teas, juices and electrolyte drinks.  Supporters argue that doubling the deposit would give New Yorkers a stronger incentive to recycle. States with higher deposits often see higher redemption rates. Michigan, for example, has a 10-cent deposit and regularly reports redem

For decades, commuters heading between New Jersey and Manhattan have depended on a pair of rail tunnels built in 1910—and lately, those tunnels have been hanging on by a thread. Now, after years of political drama, funding fights and stop-start construction, work on the long-promised replacement tunnel under the Hudson River is officially back underway. The $16 billion Hudson Tunnel Project, the centerpiece of the larger Gateway Program, resumed construction this week after a tense funding battle briefly halted work last month. That pause came when federal reimbursements tied to the project were suddenly frozen, cutting off the project’s cash flow. By February 6, construction had stopped and roughly 1,000 workers were laid off. The Gateway Development Commission warned the shutdown could leave “empty construction sites in New York and New Jersey” despite more than $1 billion already invested in the mega-project. New York and New Jersey quickly sued the U.S. Department of Transportation, arguing the freeze violated existing funding agreements. A federal judge ordered the funds restored and by late February, more than $200 million had been released, which let crews return to work. “Hundreds of workers will return to GDC’s construction sites in New York and New Jersey,” said Alicia Glen, co-chair of the Gateway Development Commission, in a release. “This is great news for these workers, the hundreds of thousands of riders who take the train to New York City every day, and the en

New York’s unofficial streak of lookalike contests is continuing this month and this time the inspiration is one of the city’s most enduring icons: John F. Kennedy Jr. On Sunday, March 15, a second JFK Jr. lookalike contest will take over the West Village nightlife venue The Parkgate, promising a nostalgic night inspired by the 1990s-era Manhattan social scene that Kennedy himself helped define. Hosted by Bumble and The Parkgate's owner, Ciaran Harrison, the contest is designed to be part tribute, part singles mixer and part throwback party, all banking on the popularity of Ryan Murphy's new limited series Love Story, about the JFK Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. The goal, according to organizers, is to recreate the kind of social energy the city once thrived on, before dating apps and smartphones became the default way to meet people. Expect contestants channeling Kennedy’s signature look—think clean-cut prep, easy confidence and maybe a pair of aviators. The evening will feature a live DJ set by Jenny Boo, with a panel of judges evaluating contestants and crowning the top three. (The top contestant will take home the night’s to-be-announced grand prize, of course.) For anyone unfamiliar with the inspiration, Kennedy was one of the most recognizable public figures of 1990s New York. The son of President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, he grew up in the public eye before building his own career as a lawyer, journalist and founder of the glossy polit

Some long-overlooked New York City parks are about to get the glow-up they deserve. City Hall announced this week that 10 neighborhood parks across all five boroughs will receive a combined $50 million in capital upgrades through the city’s Community Parks Initiative, an equity-focused program that works to improve green spaces in historically underserved communities. The projects are expected to benefit more than 116,500 New Yorkers who live near the selected parks. For many city residents, a local park isn’t just somewhere to walk the dog—it’s the closest thing they have to a backyard. That’s exactly the gap the CPI program was designed to address. Since launching in 2014, the initiative has targeted parks in neighborhoods that haven’t seen meaningful capital improvements in at least 20 years, focusing on areas with higher poverty rates, dense populations and rapid growth. The newly announced parks span every borough. In the Bronx, improvements are coming to Mott Playground in Concourse, Fountain of Youth Playground in Mott Haven/Longwood and Morris Mesa Playground in Mount Hope. Brooklyn will see upgrades at Van Dyke Playground in Brownsville, Roebling Playground in South Williamsburg and Elizabeth Stroud Playground in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Manhattan projects include Vladeck Park on the Lower East Side and the St. Nicholas Park 133rd Street Playground in Harlem. In Queens, the city will renovate Corona Health Sanctuary, while Staten Island’s Kaltenmeier Playground in Roseban

Florida is about to get a dose of Olympic sparkle. Just weeks after the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina wrapped up, some of the world’s biggest figure skating stars will glide into the Sunshine State as part of the long-running Stars on Ice tour, which brings Olympic medalists, world champions and fan favorites together. The national tour kicks off on April 16 in Fort Myers at Hertz Arena, then continues with Florida stops in Fort Lauderdale on April 17 and Orlando on April 18. The shows will mix the skaters’ competition-level athleticism with theatrical choreography, giving audiences a chance to see elites perform outside the strict rules of Olympic competition. Leading the lineup is Ilia Malinin, the reigning world champion nicknamed the “Quad God,” who became the first skater in history to land a quadruple axel in competition. He’s joined by Alysa Liu, whose incredible comeback ended in a world championship and an Olympic gold medal in women’s singles—the first U.S. Olympic win in the discipline in more than 20 years. Also slated to appear are ice dance superstars Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Olympic team gold medalists and multiple-time world champions who have dominated the discipline for years. The cast is stacked with additional national champions and Olympic veterans as well, including Isabeau Levito, Amber Glenn and longtime crowd favorite Jason Brown. The Florida shows are just the opening act. After launching in Fort Myers, the 2026 Stars on Ice tour wil

Miami’s Cuban comedy legend is getting the immersive treatment this spring. “Muerto de Risa – El Último Show de Álvarez Guedes,” a new cabaret-style production celebrating the influential Cuban comedian, will debut April 30 at a custom-built venue inside Tropical Park. The three-hour experience will blend stand-up comedy, live music, and theatrical storytelling and is designed to bring audiences into the world of Álvarez Guedes, whose recordings and performances influenced generations of Latino humor, whether you know his name or not. For many Cuban and Cuban-American households, particularly in Miami, Guedes was a cultural fixture for decades. Through a run of comedy albums starting in the 1970s, he became one of the most recognizable voices in Spanish-language comedy, known for distinctly Cuban storytelling full of slang, rhythm and everyday observations. Born in 1927 in Unión de Reyes, Cuba, Guedes began performing as a child and eventually rose to prominence in Havana’s theater, radio and television scene in the 1950s. When he left Cuba in 1960, he rebuilt his career abroad and went on to record more than 30 comedy albums while also touring throughout Latin America and the U.S. The new production revisits that legacy in a format designed to feel less like traditional theater and more like stepping into a night out in a classic Cuban cabaret. Guests will move through a series of themed spaces—including El Bar, El Cabaret and El Patio—where performances unfold throughout th

If you’re picturing packed museums, long restaurant lines and jammed sightseeing buses this spring break, you might be picturing the wrong kind of trip. According to new travel data released by Airbnb, many Americans are swapping crowded city itineraries for something far quieter: wide-open landscapes, national parks and small desert towns where the biggest activity of the day might be a hike—or simply watching the sunset. In other words, spring travel is going a little more analog. Friend groups in particular are driving the shift. Instead of organizing city getaways or party-focused beach trips, travelers are planning outdoor adventures together, centered around hiking, stargazing or exploring national parks. The company says nature and outdoor experiences are now among its most-booked travel categories for groups, showing an increasing desire for trips that prioritize space and scenery over jam-packed schedules. California’s Twentynine Palms and nearby Yucca Valley (both gateways to Joshua Tree National Park) are seeing rising interest, along with Page, Arizona, the basecamp for Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend. Mountain towns like Estes Park, Colorado (a launching point for Rocky Mountain National Park) and Moab, Utah (known for its access to Arches and Canyonlands) are also trending with groups planning spring trips. While friend groups are chasing trails and desert vistas, families are also tweaking their spring travel habits, but in a slightly different way. Florida

If getting a passport used to mean a quick stop at your neighborhood library, that chapter has officially closed in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Public Library has ended its passport application services after receiving a federal order from the U.S. Department of State, bringing an abrupt end to a program that had quietly helped hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers prepare for trips abroad. As first reported by Brooklyn Paper, the service shut down on February 27, following notices sent last fall to nonprofit libraries across the country informing them they were no longer eligible to participate in the federal Passport Acceptance Facility Program. The reason? A legal technicality. According to the State Department, federal law, dating back to the 1920 Passport Act, does not allow non-governmental organizations to collect and retain passport application fees. Because Brooklyn Public Library operates as a nonprofit rather than a government agency, it was suddenly deemed ineligible to keep processing applications—even though libraries like BPL have been doing exactly that for years. For Brooklyn residents, the change removes one of the borough’s most convenient passport hubs. Since launching the service in 2011, the library has processed nearly 300,000 passport applications, a BPL spokesperson told PIX11. Applications were handled at the Central Library branch at Grand Army Plaza and the Kings Highway branch, where applicants could submit paperwork in person and even get their passpor

The daily Staten Island Ferry commute just got a lot more interesting. A new pop-up photo exhibition at the St. George Ferry Terminal is turning the transit hub into an open-air gallery, showcasing powerful portraits of immigrant New Yorkers and the lives they’re building across the city. The installation is part of the third annual “New York Proud” campaign, organized by the New York Immigration Coalition in partnership with Photoville. The public art initiative turns busy public spaces into storytelling platforms that highlight the experiences and contributions of immigrants across the five boroughs. This time around, the portraits have landed in Staten Island—right where thousands of commuters, tourists and ferry riders pass through every day. Photographed by Venezuelan documentary photographer Oscar B. Castillo, the exhibition features immigrant New Yorkers in the places where they work and create, like kitchens, studios, clinics, stages and street corners. The subjects range from fruit vendors and chefs to playwrights and doctors, offering a glimpse into the many roles immigrants play in keeping New York running. Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, said the project is meant to spotlight how deeply immigrants are woven into the city’s identity. “'New York Proud' is a celebration of the integral role immigrants play in New York’s cultural fabric,” Awawdeh said in a statement. “By elevating stories from every corner of our city, New York

One of most luxurious experiences at one of New York's most luxurious hotels, Aman New York, involves an elegant tea service that is only available to hotel guests, Aman Club members, residence owners and, perhaps, the influencer crowd.  You'd be remiss to imagine the service akin to hanging out in a typical hotel lounge. At Aman, even a simple tea-drinking experience feel like the height of opulence. Served in the Lounge Bar on the hotel’s 14th floor, the signature afternoon tea unfolds between Aman’s two restaurants, the Italian-inspired Arva and Japanese dining concept Nama. The result is a menu that leans into the hotel’s East-meets-West philosophy, blending Japanese techniques with seasonal Italian influence in a way that feels quietly inventive rather than showy. The setting alone is part of the appeal. Aman sits within the upper floors of the historic Crown Building, the 1921 Beaux-Arts landmark at Fifth Avenue and 57th Street. But unlike the chaotic retail floors below, the hotel begins on the 14th level, where the lobby and lounge feel intentionally removed from the motion of Midtown. Afternoon tea fits naturally into the lobby’s calm, intimate and deliberately unhurried atmosphere. Photograph: Laura Ratliff The $148-per-person experience arrives as a sequence of petite savory bites, delicate desserts and classic scones served warm with raspberry jam and English clotted cream. The savory portion leans unmistakably New York—there’s a crisp everything bagel tuille; a

These two towering 30-foot steel sculptures are debuting across Manhattan next week Look up, New York. Starting next week, two enormous new sculptures will be towering over some of Manhattan’s busiest pedestrian plazas. On Tuesday, March 10, multimedia artist Charlotte Colbert will debut Chasing Rainbows, a two-part public art installation spanning Flatiron and the Meatpacking District. Each sculpture stands a staggering 30 feet tall and is constructed from reflective steel—large enough to command attention even in a city that’s used to skyscrapers. The works are the global premiere of Colbert’s newest sculptures and her first-ever public art presentation in the United States. The first piece, titled “Dreamland Sirens,” will be installed at Flatiron South Plaza at 23rd Street and Broadway. The second, “Where Angels Live,” will appear several blocks downtown in the plaza at West 14th Street and Ninth Avenue in the Meatpacking District. Together, they form a kind of surreal visual conversation across neighborhoods. If the scale feels intentionally dramatic, that’s part of the idea. The sculptures are designed to contrast Manhattan’s monumental architecture with imagery drawn from fairy tales, archetypal symbols and dreamlike storytelling. Their polished steel surfaces will reflect the surrounding city while their whimsical forms invite pedestrians to pause—and maybe look up from their phones for a minute. The project also carries a bit of civic history. According to organizers,

Chocolate chip cookie devotees in Miami are about to have a very good year. Levain Bakery, the cult-favorite New York bakery famous for its thick, gooey cookies, will open its first standalone shop in Coconut Grove later this year. The bakery has filed permits for a location at 2979 McFarlane Road, placing it right in the middle of the Grove’s growing dessert scene, near artisanal donut shop The Salty. A spokesperson confirmed the expansion to WhatNow Miami, saying the “30-year-old bakery renowned for its big, beloved cookies will open in Coconut Grove, Florida this fall,” with more details expected soon. Levain began in 1995 as a tiny neighborhood bakery on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, founded by friends Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald. At first, the shop focused mainly on bread and baguettes. But when the pair started baking oversized chocolate-chip walnut cookies to fuel their triathlon training runs, they stumbled upon what would become one of the most famous cookies in America. The dense, fist-sized cookies—crispy on the outside and molten in the middle—quickly took on a life of their own. Locals began lining up for them, then visitors started making special trips just to grab a box. Over time, Levain became a must-stop food destination for New Yorkers and tourists alike. Three decades later, the bakery has expanded far beyond that original Upper West Side shop, with locations across the country, including California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Wa