Welcome To 2021 As UK Brings In A New Year
We’re not going to pretend that the year to come will be an easy ride, but there's still a lot to be excited about
Well, you made it through 2020, and for that you should feel incredibly proud of yourself. It's been quite the slog, hasn't it?
Whether New Year's Eve saw you clink glasses with a housemate or treating yourself to a bubble bath and an early night, it's fair to say that the festivities have been a little tamer this year, but that's not to say we've got nothing to celebrate.
Sure, no one's going to pretend that the year to come will be an easy ride, as we know 2021 is set to come with its own challenges. But what we can promise is that there are some good things heading our way in the not-too-distant future - let's take a look.
Vaccines
Arguably first and foremost is the ongoing vaccine rollout, which Bill Gates believes will help bring life closer to normality over the next few months.
In a new post on his blog, GatesNotes, the Microsoft billionaire said: "There are two main reasons to be hopeful. One is that masks, social distancing, and other interventions can slow the spread of the virus and save lives while vaccines are being rolled out.
"The other reason to be hopeful is that in the spring of 2021, the vaccines and treatments you've been reading about in the news will start reaching the scale where they'll have a global impact.
"Although there will still need to be some restrictions (on big public gatherings, for example), the number of cases and deaths will start to go down a lot-at least in wealthy countries-and life will be much closer to normal than it is now."
Joe Biden as US President
It's now less than a month before Joe Biden assumes the United States presidency on 20 January, booting Donald Trump out of the White House.
He'll be joined by Kamala Harris, who will become the first female, first African American and first Asian American Vice President - and the highest-ranking female elected official in US history.
Film Releases
Production schedules have been thrown up in the air this year due to the pandemic, but many filmmakers are hoping to plow forward with releases this year.
Morbius is heading our way on 19 March 2021, followed by the premiere of the newest James Bond flick, No Time To Die - that one has been delayed several times, but currently it's scheduled for 2 April 2021.
It will be followed by the postponed release of A Quiet Place Part II, which had its world premiere in March last year, but will hopefully be released theatrically on 23 April 2021.
Black Widow was originally set to hit cinemas back in November, but now it's due for 7 May 2021, while Venom sequel Let There Be Carnage is slated for 25 June 2021.
Other big releases include Top Gun: Maverick (2 July 2021), Space Jam 2 (16 July 2021), The Suicide Squad (6 August 2021), Eternals (5 November 2021), the untitled Spider-Man sequel (5 November 2021), Mission Impossible 7 (19 November 2021) and The Matrix 4 (22 December 2021), among many others.
The Friends Reunion
And it's not just the big screen that has some excitement in store, as there's also the Friends reunion heading our way, with the film's original cast - Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer all signed up to take a trip down memory lane at the Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank.
Perry recently tweeted to say the special programme had been rescheduled for the beginning of March 2021, which thankfully isn't even too far away!
UEFA Euro 2020
Naturally, we still can't guarantee that large sporting events will be able to go ahead, but for the sake of optimism let's look forward to the re-scheduled Euro 2020 football tournament, which was supposed to take place last summer.
The pandemic obviously had other ideas, meaning things were pushed back to 2021 - although bosses decided to stick with the original name for the competition, which will no doubt come as a relief to those in charge of merch.
Fingers crossed, it'll go ahead this time from 11 June to 11 July.
Tokyo Olympics
Similarly, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics had to be pushed back to this year, and are now pencilled in for 23 July-8 August 2021, with the Paralympic Games following on 24 August-5 September 2021.
"These new dates give the health authorities and all involved in the organisation of the Games the maximum time to deal with the constantly changing landscape and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic," a press release said, explaining that the new dates 'also have the added benefit that any disruption that the postponement will cause to the international sports calendar can be kept to a minimum, in the interests of the athletes and the IFs'.
The release added: "Additionally, they will provide sufficient time to finish the qualification process."
Going to the Pub
Just think, one day soon you may finally be reunited with your one true love: the pub. You'll be sat there, clutching a pint of ice-cold Guinness with one hand while casually flipping a coaster with the other - you've not lost it, eh?
A plate of scampi and chips will arrive and you'll smile in the knowledge that this substantial meal wasn't forced upon you by government guidelines, just your bog standard, beer-induced hunger. Sod it, a sticky toffee pudding may follow.
After a few pints you'll no doubt be too sozzled to remember which direction the one-way system goes in, but you'll simply laugh it off after realising there no longer is one. You'll head to the bar for last orders (no apps or table service in this fantasy!), before calling it a night whenever the hell you want, with curfews a distant memory.
... One day, folks, one day. Until then, look after each other and keep wearing those damn masks.
Featured Image Credit: PA
Jess Hardiman