Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
101 Things to look forward to in 2023…
Moneymagpie Team
1st Jan 2023
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 6th May, which means…
- A Coronation bank holiday on Monday 8th 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: 400th Anniversary of the first publication of Shakespeare’s plays (The First Folio)
- Liverpool hosts the 67th Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine with the final on 13th May
- Celtic Connections, Glasgow’s annual folk and world music festival celebrates 30 years in 2023. This special edition will be on from 19th Jan – 5th 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 60th 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)
Outdoors (a chance to get outside)
- Chelsea Flower Show: 23-27 May
- Stonehenge Summer Solstice: 18-21 June
- RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show: 4-9 July
- RHS Flower Show, Tatton Park: 19-23 July
- Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park: (November/December)
- Longleat Festival of Light: (November)
Culture
(some old favourites to look forward to)
- Hay Festival of Literature and Arts: 25 May-4 June
- Birmingham Mela: 15-16 July
- BBC Proms 15 July: 10 September
- Edinburgh Festival Fringe; 4-28 August
- Bristol International Balloon Fiesta: 10-13 August
- Notting Hill Carnival: 27-28 August
- Jane Austen Festival, Bath: 8-17 September
- London Fashion Week: 15-19 September
- York Food and Drink Festival: 22 September – 1 October
- Cheltenham Literature Festival: 6-16 October
Pride
(get those flags flying!)
- Birmingham Pride: 27-28 May
- London Pride: 1 July
- Northern Pride: 22-23 July
- Brighton & Hove Pride: 4-6 August
- Pride Cymru: 17-18 June
Music Albums
(a taste of what’s to come…)
- RuPaul – Black Butta (6 Jan)
- Sam Smith – Gloria (27 Jan)
- Ellie Goulding – Higher than Heaven (3 Feb)
- Paramore – This is Why (10 Feb)
- Inhaler – Cuts & Bruises (17 Feb)
- P!nk – TRUSTFALL (17 Feb)
- Gorillaz – Cracker Island (24 Feb)
- Lana Del Ray – Did you Know There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd? (10 March)
Happy New Year from all of us at MoneyMagpie!
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