Art & Culture

Hong Kong – October 19, 2026 -- TECNO and BBC StoryWorks have released a new film about "100 Portraits of Becoming," a two-year portrait project that will collect 100 portraits and personal stories across five countries, starting in Kenya.

TECNO co-created the project with visual artist Angélica Dass. It pairs Dass's approach to portraiture with TECNO's Universal Tone imaging technology, which is designed to represent different skin tones fairly. The countries involved are Kenya, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Brazil.

Three Kenyans tell their stories on camera

The film introduces some of the people behind the Kenyan portraits, the project's first chapter.

Agripreneur Alex Mutua Muli connects local farmers to wider markets, building a future in the community where he grew up.

Shanghai – – October 18, 2026 -- The second edition of The Magic of Tomorrowland in China sold out two nights at Hero Dome, with Axwell headlining day one and Tiësto closing day two.

The festival ran in INS SEA, a newly developed waterfront destination in Shanghai's western Huangpu district. Tomorrowland staged it with Hero Esports, INS LAND and Budweiser, turning the purpose-built indoor venue into a two-day electronic music event for thousands of visitors.

An 88-metre stage and 72 moving ceiling screens surrounded the crowd

The scenography was built entirely locally. Organisers say the production followed local safety requirements and included sustainability in its planning.

According to the organisers, the mainstage numbers included:

Alexandria – October 17, 2026 -- Five Guys has released its first docuseries, the five-episode "On the Line: The World Burger Games," on Amazon Prime Video in North America, Europe and Australia.

The series follows crew members from local qualifying rounds around the world to the Five Guys Games championship. It was produced by Full Day Productions in collaboration with Lost Tribe Creative, and Collin Orcutt (Any Given Saturday, Omnivore) is the showrunner.

Eight crew members compete for a $100,000 check

The 2026 finale pitted eight crew members against each other, with Thursday Night Football's Charissa Thompson hosting. She interviewed competitors before and after each event. The grand prize is a $100,000 check.

Contestants took on three events: the potato race, the cheese race and the dressing/QC race. Each one pushes the skills behind every Five Guys order. Any Five Guys employee can enter.

Sacramento – October 16, 2026 -- Museum of Illusions Sacramento opens November 6 at 405 K Street, Suite 110, with general admission starting at $30 for adults and buy-one-get-one-free tickets available before opening day.

The 10,000-square-foot museum is the brand's 72nd location worldwide and its third in California, after San Diego and Santa Monica, which both opened in 2025. It is the chain's first venue in Northern California.

Over 70 hands-on exhibits invite visitors to test their own eyes

Guests can try more than 70 exhibits and attractions, including Building Illusion, Following Eyes and Reverse Room. Each is built so visitors experience the illusion themselves and learn how the eye and brain interpret what they see.

Vail – October 16, 2026 -- Vail Mountain is opening its winter with ILLENIUM at the new Dobson Arena on December 11, part of a 2026/27 music lineup that includes seven on-mountain performances, three more than last season, and two brand-new venues.

ILLENIUM and Ian Asher headline Dobson Arena

GRAMMY®-nominated, multi-platinum artist ILLENIUM kicks off the season with a marquee show on December 11. Surprise performances are possible throughout the weekend, and Vail says artist announcements will appear at @VailMtn.

On January 16, Southern California DJ and producer Ian Asher takes over the same stage. He is best known for viral electronic and house remixes, including the billion-stream "Makeba" remix, which earned Remix of the Year honors.

Helena – October 16, 2026 -- The Montana Heritage Center, a 165,000-square-foot museum next to the State Capitol, opened in December 2025 and now anchors a history road trip that runs from Helena to Glendive and beyond.

Three galleries cover 10,000 years of Montana history

The Homeland Gallery traces more than 10,000 years of Montana history, from ancient landscapes to today's communities. The Russell Gallery displays masterworks by Western artist Charles M. Russell, who worked as a cowboy near Lewistown and eventually Great Falls. The Changing Gallery rotates art and artifacts from the Montana Historical Society's collections. Visitors move through different time periods as they walk from gallery to gallery.

East Meadow – October 15, 2026 -- Twelve children's dinosaur drawings will stand as handcrafted 3D light sculptures at Eisenhower Park when the LuminoCity Holiday Lights Festival opens on November 11, 2026. The sculptures stay on display through January 3, 2027.

LuminoCity Festival announced the winners of Lumi's Utopia 2026, run in partnership with the Long Island Children's Museum (LICM) and with support from WE ART Education. The 12 winning designs were picked from 362 entries, collected through on-site workshops at LICM and online submissions. That is more than three times the number of submissions the program received in 2025.

This year's theme asked kids to invent a dinosaur with personality

The 2026 theme was Dino Friends. Children created an original dinosaur character, and the winners range from age 4 to age 13.

New York – October 15, 2026 -- Visitors can now buy tickets to see the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball up close, from $155, and a $295 premium tier lets them remove a 2026 Waterford crystal from the Ball and take it home.

Two ticket tiers open the doors at One Times Square

The standard Times Square New Year's Eve Ball Experience includes a behind-the-scenes tour and close access to the Constellation Ball. It is the ninth iteration of the Ball in its century-plus history. Guests can also take a photo with the Ball before the countdown.

The ticket also covers Times Travel, a new multi-sensory journey through the history of Times Square and the Ball. It includes entry to the One Times Square Skywalk Viewing Deck, which offers 360-degree views over Times Square. Tickets start at $155.

New York – October 15, 2026 -- Sandbox VR opens its first New York City location on October 23 at 777 7th Avenue in Times Square, and guests who book by October 22 can save 20% on all tickets.

The 10,324-square-foot Manhattan venue is the company's 100th location. It sits within walking distance of Broadway's Theatre District, Rockefeller Center, and Radio City Music Hall.

Six private rooms hold groups of up to six players

Guests suit up with headsets, haptic vests, and motion sensors for full-body immersion. Players can see and physically interact with one another inside the virtual world. The venue also has two party rooms and a bar for birthdays, celebrations, and corporate events. After each session, guests receive personalized highlight videos to relive and share.

New York – October 15, 2026 -- A new podcast episode, "AI for a Better World: What Does It Mean to Be Human in the Age of AI?", debuts October 15, 2026, on the VoiceAmerica Talk Radio Network and on all major podcast streaming platforms via the Planet Classroom Network.

Host C. M. (Cathy) Rubin, an award-winning journalist and education reformer, talks with Viktoria Modesta, a bionic pop artist, futurist and former MIT Media Lab Fellow. Their subject is how emerging technology is changing human agency, artistic expression and self-worth.

Modesta says AI is ending the habit of valuing people for productivity

Modesta was born in the USSR, under a social system focused on physical standardization. For two decades she has worked to redefine beauty, disability and technology, turning her prosthetic limb into an icon of bionic design.