The year 2026 is shaping up to be a blockbuster period for music, television, and cinema, with a slate of major releases and eagerly awaited comebacks set to dominate the cultural landscape. From intimate theatre performances to sprawling arena tours and high-profile streaming series, audiences have a wealth of new content to anticipate.
Major Music Tours and Album Releases
Following a seven-year hiatus, Lily Allen made a triumphant return in 2025 with her critically acclaimed fifth studio album, West End Girls. The raw and candid break-up record captured headlines, and for 2026, Allen has ambitious live plans. She will perform West End Girl at intimate UK theatre shows in March, before embarking on a larger arena tour across the UK and Ireland in June.
Also hitting the road is Florence + The Machine, touring in support of their 2025 album Everybody Scream. After a significant break due to frontwoman Florence Welch's lifesaving surgery, the band will tour the UK and Europe, headlining major festivals including Reading and Leeds.
Folk-rock giants Mumford & Sons broke their near-seven-year silence in March 2025 with the album RUSHMERE. Their resurgence continues with a major tour of the UK, Europe, and North America scheduled for 2026.
Brit Award sensation Raye embarks on a massive tour across the UK, Europe, and North America from January to May 2026. Meanwhile, Harry Styles has teased fans with the possibility of new music and a potential tour, though no official dates have been confirmed.
Must-Watch Television and Streaming Series
The small screen offers a rich array of drama in 2026. ITV leads with true crime in The Lady, a four-part series starring Mia McKenna-Bruce as former royal dresser Jane Andrews and Natalie Dormer as Sarah, Duchess of York. Agatha Christie's Seven Dials, also on ITV1 from 15 January, features McKenna-Bruce alongside Helena Bonham Carter and Martin Freeman.
The BBC adapts James Graham's hit play Dear England, with Joseph Fiennes as Gareth Southgate and Jodie Whittaker as psychologist Pippa Grange. Following the success of Baby Reindeer, Richard Gadd returns with a new six-part BBC series, Half Man Created, starring Jamie Bell. Another BBC highlight is The Cage, a Liverpool-set crime thriller starring Sheridan Smith and Michael Socha.
Streaming services are packed with major titles. Netflix kicks off the year with Harlan Coben's Run Away on New Year's Day, featuring James Nesbitt and Minnie Driver. Later, Florence Pugh and Christopher Abbott star in an adaptation of John Steinbeck's East of Eden.
On Amazon Prime Video, Kill Jackie marks Catherine Zeta-Jones's major comeback lead role in a revenge thriller from the makers of Killing Eve. Guy Ritchie also brings Young Sherlock to the platform on 4 March, starring Hero Fiennes-Tiffin.
Blockbuster Cinema for 2026
The big screen promises several major events. Wuthering Heights, directed by Emerald Fennell, offers a "punky, gothic-erotic" take on the classic, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as Cathy and Heathcliff. It releases on 14 February.
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man sees Cillian Murphy return as Tommy Shelby on 6 March, joined by Rebecca Ferguson and Barry Keoghan. Christopher Nolan's epic The Odyssey, featuring an A-list cast including Matt Damon and Zendaya, arrives on 17 July.
Sequels also dominate: The Devil Wears Prada 2 reunites Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt on 1 May, while Tom Holland's Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into cinemas on 31 July.
With such a diverse and high-calibre lineup across all entertainment sectors, 2026 is poised to be a landmark year for audiences, offering everything from intimate musical performances to cinematic spectacles and gripping television drama.
