Selected events scheduled in 2025 include the start of Donald Trump’s second presidency and elections in Germany, Ecuador, Bolivia, Norway, Canada and Chile.
South Africa, the first African country to hold the G20 presidency, hosts the group's summit towards the end of the year.
India opens its new Navi Mumbai International Airport, Venice doubles the number of days it charges tourists an entrance fee, and commemorations take place to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Sporting highlights include the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 football tournament, the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
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JANUARY
1. Donald Trump is to be inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States, four years after he left the White House.
2. Non-Europeans visiting the UK need an ETA (electronic travel authorisation), which costs £10. ETA expands to Europeans in April.
3. China marks the Year of the Snake. People born under this sign are said to be intuitive, calm and intelligent.
FEBRUARY
4. Voters in Germany go to the polls seven months earlier than planned, amid a political crisis triggered by the collapse of the ruling coalition.
5. Ecuador holds presidential and legislative elections.
6. The Super Bowl LIX will be held in New Orleans. Rapper Kendrick Lamar will headline the halftime show.
MARCH
7. The F1 season starts in Australia, the last before a new engine era and major rules revamp in 2026.
8. A partial solar eclipse is visible from parts of North America, Greenland, Europe, north-west Africa and north-west Russia.
9. The 97th Academy Awards take place in Los Angeles.
APRIL
10. Venice is to double the number of days it charges tourists an entrance fee of €5 for a total of 54 days.
11. India’s financial capital is set to open its new Navi Mumbai International Airport, which could handle 90m passengers per year.
12. The World Expo 2025 is held in Osaka, Japan.
MAY
13. Europe’s biggest airline Ryanair goes fully digital and phases out paper boarding passes and check-in desks.
14. The 80th anniversary of VE Day marks the end of World War II in Europe following the defeat of Nazi Germany.
15. Basel in Switzerland hosts the 69th Eurovision Song Contest.
JUNE
16. France and Saudi Arabia host an international conference in New York aimed at establishing a Palestinian state.
17. The music, technology and film festival South by Southwest “SXSW” held each year in Austin, Texas is going to London in a new European edition.
18. The FIFA Club World Cup, the first under an expanded format featuring 32 teams, begins in the US.
JULY
19. The UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 football tournament kicks off in Switzerland.
20. Russia plans to begin “extensive introduction” of the digital ruble, a government-issued cryptocoin.
21. The 112th edition of the Tour de France starts in Lille.
AUGUST
22. The 80th anniversaries of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are commemorated in Japan.
23. Bolivia holds a general election.
24. The 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup starts in England.
SEPTEMBER
25. Italian rocker Damiano David, the iconic frontman of 2021 Eurovision winning band Måneskin, embarks on his first-ever solo world tour, starting in Warsaw.
26. Parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place in Norway.
27. Tokyo hosts the World Athletics Championships.
OCTOBER
28. Canada’s federal election must be held no later than Oct 20.
29. Microsoft ends support for Windows 10 which launched in July 2015.
30. Palisades in Michigan is the first of several decommissioned nuclear power stations in the US due to come back online in a move signifying the growing popularity of this energy source.
NOVEMBER
31. Brazil hosts the COP30 climate conference in the Amazon city of Belém, bringing delegates closer to nature.
32. Chile holds general elections.
33. South Africa, the first African country to hold the G20 presidency, hosts the group’s summit in Johannesburg.
DECEMBER
34. The African Cup of Nations (AFCON) football finals begin in Morocco after a six-month delay to avoid a clash with revamped Club World Cup.
35. Jane Austen enthusiasts around the world mark the 250th anniversary of the author’s birth.
36. James Cameron takes audiences on another journey to the world of Pandora with his upcoming sequel, Avatar: Fire and Ash.
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