Wow! World Cup, Glastonbury, Winter Olympics, Beijing - Looking forward to an exciting year ahead

First News is a 28-page weekly newspaper for young people delivered into homes across the UK every Friday. Find out more and try for free at firstnews.co.uk/1free website.

THE YEAR AHEAD

Who knows what 2022 has in store for us, but there are definitely lots of exciting events in the pipeline. Here’s a round-up of some of the biggest to look out for. You can see more in this week’s First News.

Winter Olympics

February 4 to 20

The Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China, will showcase a range of snow and ice sports, including alpine skiing, bobsleigh, figure skating and ice hockey.

The games will be followed by the Winter Paralympics from March 4 to 13. The events have been hit by controversy though, with many countries choosing not to send ministers or officials to the Games, over concerns about China’s human rights record.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

April 8

Fantastic Beasts 3 is coming! Eddie Redmayne returns as Newt Scamander, with Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore and Mads Mikkelsen taking over the role of Gellert Grindelwald.

The plot is being kept top secret, but it’s believed Newt is tasked with leading a team of wizards and witches on a dangerous mission against the powerful dark wizard Grindelwald. Hurry up, April!

Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations

June 2 to 5

The Queen is set to become the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee – that’s 70 years on the throne! Events will be taking place throughout the year, with a special weekend planned for June 2 to 5.

The historic milestone will be celebrated with an extended bank holiday weekend, which hopes to bring communities together through parties and activities.

Summer Solstice

June 21

This is the longest day of the year for people living in the northern hemisphere. Revellers often head to Stonehenge in Wiltshire to celebrate and watch the sun rise. The famous Stonehenge landmark was built around the movements of the sun, so it’s become a very important place to gather.

Glastonbury

June 22 to 26

The famous music festival hopes to make a triumphant return this year, after being cancelled last year because of the pandemic.

Thousands of people will descend on Worthy Farm in Somerset for five days of music, food and camping. Pop superstar Diana Ross has already been confirmed to play, with many more big acts expected to be revealed in the next few months.

FIFA World Cup

November 21 to December 18

The FIFA World Cup will see 32 nations compete against each other for football’s most famous prize. This year’s tournament takes place in eight stadiums across Qatar in the cooler months towards the end of the year.

England will surely be hoping to recreate the success they enjoyed at Euro 2020, when the team made it through to the final. Will you be cheering them on?

DID YOU KNOW?

Chinese New Year falls on Tuesday 1 February 2022, which will be the start of the Year of the Tiger.

Last week’s answers:

What’s in the box?:

1. Scarf, 2, Ice skate, 3. Snowman, 4. Hot chocolate, 5. Holly