While Los Angeles will host the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the Super Bowl will take place up north in Santa Clara, it is also a great time to consider traveling to other major U.S. cities for historic events.
Next year marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, so let’s start there.
Philadelphia: America’s 250th anniversary celebration in July and events all year
The birthplace of the United States is preparing for the country’s big anniversary, so you can visit all year for select neighborhood and community events across the city.
Activations include a full calendar of cultural festivals, attractions, and experiences rooted in community, including a new public event, “Bells Across PA.” This program will feature local artists designing 20 large replica Liberty Bells, each being displayed in a different area of the city. Another celebration is the “Neighborhood Tour Series,” taking place over 20 weeks in the spring and summer of 2026 and featuring a different community each time.
Stay at the newly renovated historic Bellevue in the city center and dine at one of Marc Vetri’s eponymous Italian eateries, Michael Solomonov’s Zahav, or Friday, Saturday, Sunday, which is one of North America’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Park City: Sundance Film Festival Jan. 22 to Feb. 1, 2026
With the final season of the late Robert Redford’s pioneering Sundance Film Festival taking place in January 2026 before it moves to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027, this is one schedule of independent films not to miss. Stay at the Montage Deer Valley with fireplaces and outdoor firepits, the Bourbon & Burgers restaurant, Yama Sushi, and a bowling alley for burning off a little steam indoors, plus ski-in, ski-out options.
San Francisco: The Super Bowl Feb. 8, 2026
If you plan to travel to the Bay Area for the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, consider staying at Nobu Palo Alto. Make sure to allow time in your schedule for a visit to San Francisco. As part of a Union Square revitalization, acclaimed chef and restaurateur Michael Mina is opening Bourbon Steak San Francisco, a new expression of his popular steakhouse concept. Adjacent, The Eighth Rule, a bourbon-driven bar developed by two-time MVP and four-time NBA champion and entrepreneur Stephen Curry (husband of Ayesha Curry), will also open inside the hotel. This is Curry’s first foray into hospitality, two years after launching his Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Gentleman’s Cut.
“We believe in San Francisco,” said chef Mina, “and we are committed to continuing to provide spaces where people can come and eat, drink, celebrate, and feel welcome in one of the best cities in the world.”
Palm Springs: Modernism Week Feb. 13-23, 2026
Marking its 21st year, the mid-century architecture and design festival offers a staggering 500 events over 11 days amid a stunning desert mountain backdrop and plenty of poolside parties.
Stay in the middle of downtown, at the Thompson Palm Springs, the sleek, new property with a world-class art collection. Dine and drink at brand-new Bar Issi, by Marissa and Matt Hermer of Chez Mia, also designed by Fettle, and inspired by the iconic 1970s imagery of Mediterranean glamour along the Italian coastline.
New York: New York Fashion Week in February and September, and the Met Gala on May 4, 2026
While both fall and spring Fashion Week events will congregate around Spring Studios, the Met Gala in May is all about the revitalized Upper East Side and Ground Zero for years has been The Mark Hotel. With a private apartment-living feel (The Mark Penthouse is the largest in North America), the property was designed by Jacques Grange. The Mark is dog-friendly, with a “Spoiled Dogs Menu” created by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who has a variety of dining concepts in the hotel, from his namesake flagship eatery with the best truffle burger, to a collaboration with Caviar Kaspia, and a haute dog cart in front. This is a prime location with easy access to Central Park and The Frick Collection. The hotel offers private tours of the Met and a new Augustine Bader spa coming in the new year.
Photos courtesy of The mark Hotel
Austin: South by Southwest (SXSW) March 12-18, 2026
What’s new at SXSW in 2026? For the first time, all conferences and festivals run side by side with seven days of interactive media, film, television, and music. With the Austin Convention Center redevelopment, SXSW 2026 transforms downtown Austin into a creative village.
To get the lay of the land, you should probably start on South Congress. This block runs from the north to the south of the city and is where you can find casual Austin staples such as Güero’s Taco Bar, where everyone from President Clinton to Matthew McConaughey has dined.
Hotel Van Zandt is a boutique hotel nestled in the heart of Austin’s Rainey Street District for live music, just steps from Lady Bird Lake and the vibrant downtown district. Inspired by the city’s musical roots and rich Texas history, the rooms and suites have a sophisticated rock ‘n’ roll charm, including the rooftop pool deck (with piped-in underwater music) and art installations throughout the property.
Washington, D.C.: National Cherry Blossom Festival March 20 to April 13, 2026
The Tidal Basin is the most popular spot to view the D.C. cherry blossoms in spring, with more than 3,000 Yoshino cherry trees. Stay nearby at The Jefferson, a dog-friendly boutique hotel dating back to 1923 with a Beaux-Arts architectural style that’s located steps away from the White House. The two Michelin Key hotel offers lavish suites, a state-of-the-art fitness center, an in-house historian for curated itineraries, a dedicated Book Room with a First Library book program, a private wine cellar, 24-hour butler service with in-room mixed cocktails, and all-day dining at The Greenhouse beneath the lobby skylight.
New Orleans: Jazz and Heritage Festival April 23 to May 3, 2026
For one of the largest musical gatherings in the states, head to the Big Easy, where you can catch a diverse group of talent from Lenny Kravitz and Pearl Jam to Harry Connick Jr. and Trombone Shorty, along with local, African and Native American village-style marketplace crafts and food.
New to the area are two charming boutique properties, The Garden District Hotel and The Blackbird Hotel, that are both helping to shape a new chapter for the city while celebrating a new culinary era with award-winning restaurants. The design-forward properties’ distinct personalities and amenities include The Garden District Hotel’s 47 retreat-like guestrooms, heated saltwater pool, and the city’s only swim-up bar, and The Blackbird Hotel’s 13 unique guestrooms, sultry lobby bar, and pool area surrounded by lush greenery.
Photo courtesy of the lafayette hotel
Louisville: Kentucky Derby May 1-2, 2026
After a day at the races, stay at the 21c Museum Hotel, pioneers in launching a contemporary art-inspired hotel in 2006 by visionary art collectors and preservationists, Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson. Their mission? To make contemporary art more accessible by offering free, 24/7 exhibitions while sparking economic revival in historic downtowns. Stay in The Apartment, 21c’s sky-high sanctuary overlooking the Bourbon City skyline.
Newer to the scene is Hotel Bourré Bonne (meaning good bet), with a design and art influenced by the city’s historic French Beaux-Arts architecture and the city’s famed horse racing culture and French origins of Kentucky bourbon.
San Diego: NASCAR June 20-21, 2026
For car racing, comic book collectors, and soccer fans, the NASCAR series at the Naval Base in June, the Comic-Con festival at the Convention Center in July or the new FC Major League Soccer, which debuted in 2025 at Snapdragon Stadium, should be summer and fall (September-October) draws, respectively.
To continue the romp, stay at the completely refurbished Lafayette Hotel in North Park—a haven for Hollywood elite in the 1940s and ‘50s. The over-the-top maximalist design with bold zebra and floral motifs includes a main circular lobby bar, vintage bowling alley, breakfast diner, basement speakeasy with live music, and a lively pool bar scene. Next door is an upscale Mexican restaurant in a church setting, complete with stained-glass windows, with masa and mole created from family recipes by chef José Cepeda.
Chicago: James Beard Awards June 13–15, and the Route 66 Centennial on Nov. 11, 2026
To keep up with the level of culinary excellence and excitement of the annual James Beard Awards, dine at chef Grant Achatz’s Alinea, celebrating 20 years—and dozens of accolades.
In addition, Palmer House, North America’s longest-operating hotel, since 1871, and another landmark Chicago destination, is celebrating the Route 66 Centennial in 2026 with a “Get Your Kicks Near Route 66” package, commemorating Illinois as the road’s official starting point. This will offer hotel guests luxe accommodations, welcome cocktails at the hotel’s speakeasy-inspired lounge, Original Palmer House Brownies (the baked treat was invented at the hotel in 1893 for the World’s Fair), a Google Map with points of interest and a Spotify playlist of cruising songs to set the mood.
Photo by Jason sean weiss
Aspen: Art Week and The Aspen Art Fair July 29 to Aug. 2, 2026
While you might enjoy an annual ski trip to one of Colorado’s top mountain ranges, consider a trip to this tony town off-season during the summer months, especially during Art Week and The Aspen Art Fair in its third year, which is gaining international momentum—the second edition drew more than 4,000 galleries, curators, and collectors from across the globe.
Stay at Hotel Jerome, and you will have easy access to the fair which takes place along the corridors and ground-floor suites of the property and even spills out onto the terraces. Do make time to have drinks at one of the hotel’s historic bars and admire the permanent collection of black-and-white photographs of the town, curated in partnership with the Aspen Historical Society.
“The Hotel Jerome is synonymous with Aspen and the heart and soul of town,” Becca Hoffman, CEO and founder of The Aspen Art Fair, told the Courier. “There is no better place to host a contemporary and modern art and design fair.”
Vegas: Formula 1 (F1) Nov. 20-23, 2026
Public charter service JSX has expanded routes from its private terminal near Hollywood Burbank Airport that will have you at the racetrack with ease and zero airport hassles. Once you arrive, stay at the luxury five-star Wynn Las Vegas with new dining spots such as the iconic Sartiano’s Italian Steakhouse from New York, or head “next door” to The Venetian for the new Michelin-starred Cote Korean Steakhouse from Miami and New York with curated artwork by Damien Hirst and design by David Rockwell. For more meat, The Palazzo opened a new 20,000-square-foot Bazaar Meat by José Andrés offering a tableside martini cart and a special illuminating chocolate dome dessert, Sphere Graffiti, with a mallet to break it open, revealing an assortment of sweet treats. “It’s almost more Vegas than Vegas!” shared chef Andrés about the new spot. The Venetian Resort is the only place fans can get the full experience of Sphere with concert and hotel packages, plus preferred seating.
photos courtesy of MGM
Miami: Art Basel and Design Miami Dec. 5-7, 2026
During this busy time, most activities take place in the Miami Design District or South Beach. As the leading international art fair in the Americas, Art Basel Miami Beach welcomes 284 premier galleries from 43 countries and territories across the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. At this same time, Design Miami celebrates its 20th anniversary of creating a global forum for collectible design.
For a prime (and relaxing position) stay at the Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club in Miami Beach. It is located in a historic 1930s mansion property, with modern suites and sweeping ocean views that will make you feel far from the fray when you need to recharge. The Champagne Bar is great for drinks before delicious fresh pasta at Lido, and Thomas Keller also has a restaurant on the property with a bar and live jazz.
Photos courtesy of Four seasons at The Surf Club
