From Queen’s jubilee to Qatar World Cup: the big dates of 2022

Macron / Notting Hill / Biden / Int’l Women’s Day Composite: Rex/AP/Getty

1 January

• France assumes European Council presidency.

• The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the world’s largest trade deal, comes into force.

• Full border controls on UK imports from the EU to be introduced.

• Germany takes over the G7 presidency.

• France brings in ban on plastic packaging for many fruits and vegetables

4 January

• National Security and Investment Act comes into force in UK.

9 January – 6 February

• Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

9 January

• Golden Globes ceremony.

17 January

• Davos World Economic Forum was scheduled to start, but has now been postponed to the summer because of the Omicron variant of Covid 19

20 January – 6 February

• Celtic Connections in Glasgow.

27 January

• Holocaust Memorial Day.

17 – 30 January

• Australian Open tennis in Melbourne.

27 January – 19 February

• Women’s Ashes.

30 January

• Portuguese parliamentary election.

30 January

• Bloody Sunday 50th anniversary.

31 January

• Grammys ceremony.

Lunar new year celebrations in Xiamen. Photograph: VCG/Getty Images

February (date TBC)

• Joe Biden’s first state of the union.

• Nasa to send an uncrewed flight around the moon.

1 February

• Lunar new year. The year of the tiger begins.

3 February

• UK monetary policy committee holds first interest rate meeting of the year, after hiking rates in December amid concerns over rising inflation.

4 – 20 February

• Beijing Winter Olympics.

5 February

• Six Nations Championship begins.

6 February

• The Queen celebrates her platinum jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne.

8 February

• Brit awards.

13 February

• Super Bowl LVI, in Inglewood, California.

21 February

• Latest IPCC working group report due on impact of climate crisis.

25 February – 5 March

• Rio carnival.

The Academy Awards in Hollywood. Photograph: Lucas Jackson/Reuters

28 February

• Egypt celebrates 100 years of independence from the UK.

March (through October)

• Unboxed, a new British cultural festival.

4 – 13 March

• Beijing Winter Paralympics.

4 March – 3 April

• Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.

8 March

• International Women’s Day.

9 March

• South Korea presidential election.

10-13 March

• Crufts dog show.

13 March

• Bafta awards.

27 March

• The Oscars.

27 March

• Hong Kong chief executive election.

Emmanuel Macron, the French president. Photograph: Reuters

April (date TBC)

• Hungary parliamentary elections.

• NASA due to launch SuperBIT next-generation space telescope

1 April

• UK’s “national living wage” rises to £9.50. National insurance contributions to rise by 1.25% to fund social care costs.

1 April

• Introduction of plastic packaging tax in UK

6 April

• UK makes calorie labelling mandatory on all food and drink that is prepared and sold for immediate consumption.

• Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 comes into force allowing no-fault divorce.

7 – 10 April

• 2022 Masters golf at Augusta.

9 April

• Grand National at Aintree.

16 April – 2 May

• World Snooker Championship.

10 April

• France presidential election first round.

22 April

• Earth Day.

23 April – 27 November

• Venice Biennale.

24 April

• Second round of France presidential election.

25 April – 8 May

• UN biodiversity conference in Kunming, China.

French Open tennis. Photograph: Javier García/BPI/Rex/Shutterstock

May (date TBC)

• UK city of culture 2025 announced

• Russia scheduled to launch Luna 25 mission to the moon

3 May

• World Press Freedom Day.

5 May

• UK local elections, Northern Ireland assembly elections, and seven mayoral elections in England.

9 May

• The Philippines presidential and parliamentary elections.

10 May

• The Bob Dylan Centre in Tulsa, Oklahoma, opens its doors.

14 May

• FA Cup final at Wembley.

14 May

• Eurovision song contest in Turin.

22 May

• 100th anniversary of the Guardian women’s page.

24 – 28 May

• Chelsea flower show.

22 May – 5 June

• French Open tennis.

26 May – 5 June

• Hay festival.

27 May

• Abba concerts begin at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

28 May

• Champions League final, St Petersburg.

29 May

• Colombia presidential election.

Glastonbury festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset. Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA

June (date TBC)

• London to stage the first global conference on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights, to coincide with 50th anniversary of the first pride marches.

• US supreme court expected to rule on abortion case.

1 June

• The sale of single-use plastic straws, cutlery and polystyrene cups is banned in Scotland.

2 June

• Queen’s birthday and trooping the colour.

5 June

• World Environment Day.

12 and 19 June

• French parliamentary elections.

22 – 26 June

• Glastonbury festival.

27 June – 10 July

• Wimbledon tennis championships.

Tour de France fans. Photograph: Yoan Valat/EPA

July (date TBC)

• Germany begins returning Benin Bronzes to Nigeria.

1 July – 24 July

• Tour de France, which this year starts in Copenhagen.

6 – 31 July

• Women’s Euro 2022.

7 – 17 July

• World Games.

15 -24 July

• World Athletics Championships.

14 – 17 July

• The Open golf at St Andrews.

24 – 31 July

• Tour de France Femmes.

28 July – 8 August

• Commonwealth Games.

Independence day celebrations at the India-Pakistan Wagah Post. Photograph: Narinder Nanu/AFP/Getty Images

6 – 28 August

• Edinburgh festival.

9 August

• Kenya general election.

14 August

• Pakistan celebrates 75 years of independence.

15 August

• India celebrates 75 years of independence.

26 August – 4 September

• World Para Athletics Championships.

28 – 29 August

• Notting Hill carnival.

29 August – 11 September

• US Open tennis.

31 August

• 25th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Notting Hill carnival in west London. Photograph: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images

7 September

• Brazil celebrates 200 years of independence.

10 – 25 September

• Asian Games.

11 September

• Sweden parliamentary election.

13 – 17 September

• British Science festival.

October (date TBC)

• 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party: Xi Jinping expected to seek third term as president.

1 – 31 October

• Black History Month (UK).

2 October

• Brazil presidential and parliamentary elections.

• London Marathon.

7 October

• Nobel peace prize winner announced.

15 October – 19 November

• Rugby League World Cup.

18 October

• 100th anniversary of the founding of the BBC.

US voting. Photograph: Frederic J Brown/AFP/Getty Images

7 November

• Cop27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, begins.

8 November

• US midterm elections.

17 – 20 November

• Kendal mountain festival.

The Qatari capital, Doha. Photograph: Ammar Abd Rabbo/Qatar Museums/AFP/Getty Images

21 November

• World Cup in Qatar begins.

6 December

• Centenary of the establishment of the Irish free state.

18 December

• World Cup final.