<< Exploring India’s most famous monuments | Discovering France's best skiing destinations >>

The top 5 things to look forward to in 2016

February 29, 2016 10:34 by author

There are plenty of things to look forward to this year, with sports fans, tourists, travellers and history buffs all particularly well catered for.|

Here is a quick rundown of 5 of the biggest things to look forward to in 2016.

1. Euro 2016, various locations, France

Imageworld

The 2016 UEFA European Championship is the next in the series of one of the biggest competitions in world football.

Euro 2016 will be the 15th edition of the event and this time round it's being held in France from 10 June to 10 July 2016. Spain will be defending their title and for the first time, 24 teams will take part in the finals after winning their places through the lengthy qualifying stages.

England and Wales clash in the same group while both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland also qualified. Expect a party atmosphere come June.

2. The Olympic Games, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Imgur

Between 5-21 August Rio de Janeiro hosts another major sporting event for 2016. 17 days of Olympic sports will have thousands of fans travelling to Brazil to try to snap up some of the 7.5 million tickets on sale and millions more will be watching events unfold on their TVs at home.

42 sports will be contested with both golf and rugby returning to the games for the first time in many years.

3. Jubilee Year of Mercy, Rome, Italy

Wiki

Rome, one of the most visited cities on the planet, will host even most visitors this year as it celebrates the Jubilee Year of Mercy. The Spanish Steps will be reopened and the scaffolding will be removed from the Colosseum as pilgrims descend on the city.

Pope Francis is allowing the doors of papal basilicas to be opened allowing rare public access. The so called 'Extraordinary Jubilee' is expected to be even larger than the one held in 2000 which saw 25 million visit the ancient city.

4. 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, Stratford upon Avon, UK

Imgur

William Shakespeare is undoubtedly the most famous playwright of all time and the 400th anniversary of his death this year will see his home town of Stratford upon Avon host a grand procession through the streets on the weekend of April 23 and 24 – which also happens to mark his birthday.

There will be new theatrical performances at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the bard's last home, 'New Place', will open to the public after a lengthy refurbishment.

5. Totally Thames, London, UK

A month-long celebration of the Thames called 'Totally Thames' takes place during September and aims to bring the river to life with an exciting season of events taking place over the entire 42-mile stretch of the Thames in London.

Live art and theatre productions, Tall Ships and paddle steamers will all play their part in the extravaganza. The backing of The Mayor of London, London First, Arts Council England, Port of London Authority and all 17 London boroughs with a river front means the spectacle should rival any Thames celebration that has gone before.