101 Things to look forward to in 2023…

Moneymagpie Team 1st Jan 2023 No Comments

Reading Time: 6 minutes

2022 was a really challenging year for lots of people. With energy prices through the roof, the cost of living not getting any better and it was so cold in December, which didn’t help any of us feel more cheerful.

Christmas can also be hard, especially if you had to cut your budget and couldn’t afford to do it the way you’re used to. We hope you managed to have a good time with your family or friends or neighbours and remembered it’s not about the gifts, it’s about the time we spend together.

This coming year isn’t looking much better… yet. We all hope that things will improve. We want the war to end and for the people of Ukraine to be able to rebuild their homes; we all need the cost of living to improve; but mostly we’d just like everyone to have a decent quality of life.

However you’re feeling, January can be a bit blue. So here at MoneyMagpie we’ve put together a list of 101 things to look forward to in 2023. Enjoy!

Special Celebrations & Events
Money
Sport
TV
Film Releases
Theatre & Musicals
Outdoors
Culture
Pride
Music Albums

Special Celebrations/events

Coronation of King Charles III on 6^th May, which means…
A Coronation bank holiday on Monday 8^th May
Disney 100 Years of Wonder. Disney has lots planned for 2023 to celebrate their big birthday, including a special concert touring arenas in the UK – click here for tickets
Warner Bros. are also celebrating 100 years of making magic at the cinema – expect special releases and a whole new logo
Flying Scotsman Centenary – there are events happening throughout the year to celebrate 100 years of this famous engine. Click here for more details
Folio 400: 400^th Anniversary of the first publication of Shakespeare’s plays (The First Folio)
Liverpool hosts the 67^th Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine with the final on 13^th May
Celtic Connections, Glasgow’s annual folk and world music festival celebrates 30 years in 2023. This special edition will be on from 19^th Jan – 5^th Feb and will feature concerts, ceilidhs, talks and exhibitions
Leeds 2023: Year of Culture will see a whole year of events planned across the city and its wards. The celebrations start on 7 Jan with The Awakening – a live show at Headingley Stadium which will showcase the city’s cultural past, present and future.
The National Coastal Tourism Academy has named 2023 Year of the Coast to mark the planned completion of England’s Coast Path, which is going to be the longest continuous coastal walking route in the world.

Money

In 2023 state pensions will increase in line with inflation (for September: 10.1%) – this could mean as much as £870 a year extra for pensioners
Eligible benefits will also increase in line with inflation (for September: 10.1%) – so for example Universal Credit goes from £265.31 to £292.10 for a single person under 25
Minimum Wage will rise to £10.42 from April 1
In February Scotland will start making payments of new Low Income Winter Heating Assistance benefit
There will be a freeze on income tax and NI thresholds
The Stamp Duty cut will remain until 2025
Typical energy bills will be capped at £3,000
Cost of Living payments in 2023: payments available to those on means-tested benefits could be as much as £900, pensioners will get £300 extra and those with disabilities £150
If you get the maximum amount of PIP (personal independence payment) your payments should go up from £156.90 to £172.75 a week from 1 April
Child Benefit is also set to increase in April– an eldest or only child will get £24 per week and additional children £15.90 (that’s up from £21.80 and £14.45 respectively)

Here’s a round-up of so many more things to look forward to in 2023, from your favourite sporting fixtures to TV and Film and Album releases, there’s something for everyone to get excited about!

Sport
(No plane tickets required)

Rugby World Cup (Final on Saturday Oct 28)
Six Nations Rugby – 4-18 March
Grand National – 13-15 April
London Marathon – 23 April
Women’s FA Cup Final – 14 May
Emirates FA Cup Final – 3 June
Royal Ascot – 20-24 June
Wimbledon Tennis Championships – 3-16 July
Formula 1 British Grand Prix – 7-9 July
The British Open at St Andrews – 16-23 July
Great North Run – 10 September

TV
(some returning favourites and some new shows to get stuck into)

The Last of Us – 16 Jan (HBO)
The Mandalorian Season – 3 February (Disney)
Succession Season 4 – Spring (Sky Atlantic)
Secret Invasion – Spring (Marvel/Disney)
Loki Season 2 – Summer (Disney)
X-Men ’97 – Summer 2023 (Marvel/Disney)
Ahsoka – TBC (Disney)
Masters of the Air (WWII drama)
Doctor Who 60^th Anniversary Specials
Happy Valley Season 3 – 1 Jan
Queen Charlotte – A Bridgerton Story (Netflix)
You Season 4 (Netflix)
The Crown Season 6 (Netflix)

Film Releases
(get these dates in the diary!)

The Pale Blue Eye: 6 Jan (Netflix)
Empire of Light: 9 Jan
Tar: 13 Jan
Babylon: 20 Jan
The Fablemans: 27 Jan
The Whale: 3 Feb
Women Talking: 10 Feb
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania :17 Feb
Pearl: 17 March
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3: 5 May
The Little Mermaid: 26 May
Indiana Jones 5: 30 June
Mission Impossible – Dean Reckoning Part One: 14 July
Barbie: 21 July
Dune Part 2: 3 November
Wonka: 15 Dec

Theatre & Musicals
(look out for ticket deals on our website)

Hanya Yanigahara’s A Little Life: 25 March – 18 June (Harold Pinter Theatre)
Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations: from 31 March (Prince Edward Theatre)
Bat out of Hell: 17 Feb – 1 April (Peacock Theatre)
Bonnie & Clyde: 4 March – 20 May (Garrick)
Crazy for You: 24 June to 24 Jan 2024 ( Gillian Lynne Theatre)
Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons: 18 Jan – 18 March (Harold Pinter Theatre)
Mrs Doubtfire: from 12 May (Shaftsbury Theatre)
Operation Mincemeat: 29 Mar – 8 July (Fortune Theatre)
Patriots: 26 May – 19 Aug (Noel Coward Theatre)
Syliva: 27 Jan – 1 Apr (Old Vic)
The Pillowman: 10 Jun – 2 Sept (Duke of York’s Theatre)
The Spongebob Musical: 26 July – 27 August (Queen Elizabeth Hall)