As we near the end of 2024, it’s time to reflect on the last 12 months, while also looking to the future.
2024 saw continuing global conflict and political upheaval at home alongside the spectacle of solidarity and sportsmanship that was the Paris Olympics and Paralympic Games.

Likewise, 2025 will present challenges in the UK and abroad, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t reasons to be optimistic and things to look forward to.

Here’s your rundown of the most-anticipated book releases, must-see films, and cultural events that could define your 2025.

Films

1. A Complete Unknown (17 January)

Fresh from his recent turns as a young Willy Wonka and Paul Atreides in Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi smash Dune Part 2, Timothée Chalamet is taking on a new challenge.

Chalamet stars as a young Bob Dylan in the Oscar-tipped A Complete Unknown. The film centres around the moment Dylan “went electric” at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.

Expect Chalamet’s Dylan to rub shoulders with the likes of Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, and Woody Guthrie.

The film is directed by James Mangold who was responsible for the 1995 Johnny Cash biopic, Walk the Line.

2. 28 Years Later (20 June)

Back in 2002, Danny Boyle (the man behind the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony) released the British horror film 28 Days Later. Set in the immediate aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, it had only a moderate budget but saw critical acclaim and financial success. So much so, that a sequel, 28 Weeks Later, arrived in 2007.

In 2025, Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland are returning to this dystopian world for 28 Years Later.

Star of the original, Cillian Murphy, is back, following his recent Oscar success for Oppenheimer. He’ll be joined by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, and Jodie Comer.

3. F1 (25 June)

This motor racing film has Lewis Hamilton on the credits in a producing role and stars Brad Pitt alongside Javier Bardem and Tobias Menzies.

It’s directed by Joseph Kosinski, the man behind Top Gun: Maverick. Expect high-octane thrills as Pitt’s F1 driver returns to the sport and tries to take home the glory.

4. Avatar: Fire & Ash (19 December)

The latest in James Cameron’s long-running and incredibly expensive eco-fantasy saga is coming to UK screens next year, but you’ve still got a while to wait.

As Cameron continues to explore the beautifully realised world of Pandora, many familiar faces will be reprising their roles from the 2022 sequel, Way of Water.

These include Zoe Saldana, Kate Winslet, Sigourney Weaver, and Sam Worthington.

Books

5. Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (4 March)

Adichie is responsible for some incredible novels, including Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah. Her latest is highly anticipated, having been 10 years in the making.

The story tells of four women and their loves, longings, and desires. A Nigerian travel writer in America, her housekeeper, a successful lawyer, and a bold and outspoken woman in the world of Nigerian finance, all face challenges, hardship, and tough choices.

It’s sure to be one of the most talked-about releases of 2025.

6. Open, Heaven by Seán Hewitt (15 April)

Award-winning Irish poet Seán Hewitt released a memoir, All Down Darkness Wide back in 2022. Part coming of age and part coming out story, it was also a meditation on grief and depression and an incredible achievement for a still-young writer.

Hewitt is back in 2025 with a novel, Open, Heaven.

Set in a remote village in the north of England, sixteen-year-old James is shy and sheltered until he meets an older boy, Luke, who has about him an air of danger. Over the year that follows, the pair’s story touches on themes of first love, growing up, and finding our own place in the world.

7. The Antidote by Karen Russell (11 March)

A former finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Russell’s “Dust Bowl Epic” follows five characters as a dust storm descends on their fictional Nebraskan town.

A “Prairie Witch,” a Polish wheat farmer, a basketball star, a chatty scarecrow, and a photographer feature in a novel that explores collective amnesia and the climate crisis.

Events

8. Glastonbury Festival (25 to 29 June)

The only headliner so far confirmed for this year’s Glastonbury Festival is Rod Stewart in the Legends slot.

That won’t stop tickets selling out within minutes and come June, around 200,000 people will descend on Pilton’s Worthy Farm.

Other acts rumoured to be appearing at this very early stage include Nile Rogers, The Libertines, Neil Young, and Eminem.

9. BBC Proms (14 July to 9 September)

At the other end of the music scale, the BBC has been airing the Proms since 1927 and this year’s event will run from July through to September. It promises to provide an extravaganza of classical music in front of packed crowds, with some surprises along the way too.

The full schedule will be announced in April.

10. UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 (2 to 27 July)

The 14th UEFA Women’s Championship, also known as Women’s Euro 2025, will be played from 2 to 27 July 2025.

Having won the title in 2022, England are the defending champions. They’ll face tough competition from the likes of Germany, Spain, Iceland, Denmark, France, Italy, and the Netherlands, as well as the hosts, Switzerland.

Get in touch

If you need help with your finances in 2025, get in touch. Email info@thepensionplanner.co.uk or call 0800 0787 182.