Art & Culture

Boulder – September 29, 2026 -- The Sundance Film Festival will leave Park City after more than four decades and debut in Boulder, Colorado, running January 21-31, 2027.

Boulder's Chautauqua Auditorium becomes an official festival venue

Set beneath the Flatirons, Boulder pairs the festival's screenings and premieres with immediate access to hiking trails at Chautauqua Park. Downtown, the pedestrian-only Pearl Street will mark its 50th anniversary in 2027, and the city's dining scene has drawn recognition from the MICHELIN Guide.

Estes Park offers elk sightings and quiet winter trails near Rocky Mountain National Park

As the basecamp for Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park turns into a snowshoe-friendly landscape in winter, with elk commonly seen around town and mule deer spotted in the surrounding area. The Riverwalk trail follows the Big Thompson and Fall rivers through downtown.

Burbank, Calif. – September 29, 2026 -- Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood has opened ticket sales for Gilmore Girls Holidays, a new fan event replacing its former Holidays Made Here celebration, running December 12, 2026 through January 3, 2027 and closed on Christmas Day.

General admission costs $79, while a Studio Tour Bundle including both the holiday event and the full studio tour costs $124. Tickets are available now at the venue's official site.

Luke's Apartment Reopens on Its Original Soundstage

The event recreates Luke's Apartment inside Stage 13, the original filming location, built from the production's original specifications. Guests can also walk through an expanded version of the Gilmore Estate and visit a new Chilton School Graduation Courtyard set, along with an interactive Rory's Basket Auction experience.

New York – September 29, 2026 -- Ian Lopatin, co-founder of the lifestyle brand Spiritual Gangster and of the Of Course Sanctuary wellness community, will release his debut book, "The Way of a Spiritual Gangster," on October 10, 2026, through Mark Victor Hansen Library publishing.

The book argues stress is not a required cost of success

A former entertainment lawyer with three decades in business, Lopatin uses the book to challenge the belief that high achievers must trade peace and presence for results. He frames the work as an alternative approach to performance built on clarity and purpose rather than pressure.

"I believe the biggest lie high performers have been told is that stress is the price of success," Lopatin said. "You don't need to suffer through your life or change it, you need to change the state you're living it from."

Jacksonville – September 29, 2026 -- Sandbox VR will open its newest venue at St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville, Florida, on October 9, 2026, offering a 20% presale discount through October 8 for guests who book ahead.

The 4,518-square-foot venue features four private rooms for group play

Groups of up to six guests can suit up with headsets, haptic vests and motion sensors for full-body immersion, allowing players to see and physically interact with each other during the experience. Each session ends with a personalized highlight video guests can keep and share.

Vic Ali owns and operates the new Jacksonville location

"My management team and I are very excited about bringing this exciting and completely immersive entertainment experience to Jacksonville!" Ali said.

Lewes, Delaware – September 28, 2026 -- HiBy has officially revealed the first products from its collaboration between sub-brand HiBy Digital and the video game Cyberpunk 2077, following an initial announcement earlier this year.

Two audio devices carry designs inspired by Night City

The lineup includes the HiBy Digital PULSE gaming headset and the HiBy Digital GRID external sound card, both featuring visual elements drawn from the world of Cyberpunk 2077, the open-world game released by CD PROJEKT RED in 2020.

Canary Islands, Spain – September 28, 2026 -- The four astronauts of NASA's Artemis II mission — Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen — will receive the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication on October 17, 2026, during the opening of STARMUS VIII in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

The crew turned a lunar mission into a global science lesson

Organizers cite the astronauts' use of interviews, social media, live communications, educational initiatives and public appearances to explain the science and technology behind Artemis II. STARMUS says the crew went beyond technical milestones, sharing the preparation, risks, teamwork and international cooperation behind the mission, and helped younger audiences engage with science and space exploration.

Chicago – September 28, 2026 -- Two new picture books from the Princess Penelope's Purse of Preposterous Things series hit shelves on November 3, 2026, expanding a children's media franchise built by Emmy-winning creator Angela C. Santomero.

"Bunny Lala's Big Song" and "Pirate Argh's Treasure Hunt" arrive from 4U2B Books & Media, an imprint of Loyola Press, following the success of the show's earlier titles and its YouTube Kids series, which has drawn over 12 million views.

Santomero built her career on Blue's Clues and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood

Santomero, also known for creating Super Why!, developed Princess Penelope's Purse of Preposterous Things as her latest project. The franchise now includes four books total after this release.

Tucson – September 28, 2026 -- Western National Parks (WNP) is bringing the traditions of Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site on the road again for the 2026-27 season, with stops at national park sites and community venues across the West through June 2027.

The tour visits six confirmed locations starting in October

The schedule kicks off at Bandelier National Monument on October 10-11, 2026, followed by The National Parks Store on January 16-17, 2027, Sabino Canyon Recreation Area on February 13-14, 2027, the Tucson Festival of Books on March 13-14, 2027, White Sands National Park on April 17-18, 2027, and Petroglyph National Monument on June 12-13, 2027. Additional stops may be added during the season, and events on public lands run during regular Visitor Center hours.

Tulsa, Okla. – September 28, 2026 -- The Gilcrease Museum will reopen to the public in March 2027 inside a newly built facility, more than 75 years after its founding in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

A New Building Designed to Hold 300,000 Works

The museum, founded by Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizen and collector Thomas Gilcrease, houses more than 300,000 works and cultural materials spanning 12,000 years of history across the Americas. The new facility was designed by SmithGroup, with exhibition design handled by G&A.

Brian Lee Whisenhunt, executive director and CEO of Gilcrease, said the original founder envisioned a space where Indigenous and settler art and culture could be in conversation with one another. He said the new building is intended to give that vision room to fully take shape.

Hong Kong – September 28, 2026 -- Smartphone maker TECNO and visual artist Angélica Dass have unveiled "100 Portraits of Becoming," a two-year photography project that will document 100 people across five countries, starting with 20 individuals from Kenya.

The project pairs camera technology with personal storytelling

The Kenya chapter, now live, features participants reflecting on identity, opportunity and self-definition. The initiative builds on TECNO's Universal Tone imaging work, which focuses on rendering diverse skin tones accurately, and extends that effort into a broader look at the individuals behind the images.