The most exciting things to do in the USA in 2024

Taking place from January 11-14, this Aspen, Colorado-based event has been taking place since 1951. This winter wonderland festival seeks to unite ski bums and bunnies, bringing together both the local community and visitors to celebrate the snowy lifestyle Aspen is known for. Throughout the four-day festival, attendees can watch professional snow sculpture making, try their hand at stone curling, compete in a soup competition, delight in the beer garden, go disco ice skating, and participate in all their favorite mountain activities. From bonfires to broomball to fireworks and live music, this is one weekend you won’t want to miss out on.

Solar eclipse? Check. Music? Check. Food? Check. If you want a one-of-a-kind way to view 2024’s solar eclipse, this is the way to do it. Located in Russellville, Arkansas (which was named one of the top 10 places to view the eclipse), the Total Eclipse of the Heart music festival will take place over three days, from April 6 to 8. Each day has a different theme for its tunes—blues and bbq, the best bands from Branson, and Liverpool legends. In addition to the live performers, there will also be hot air balloon rides, a cornhole tournament, and for couples who are looking to elope, you can get that done here, too.

With more and more states legalizing the use of recreational marijuana, we’ve seen a surge of shops—both luxury and perfunctory—selling consumables popping up across the country. Private Reserve, a new intimate cannabis lounge, is slated to open in February in West Hollywood, California, to welcome consumers to a boutique and elevated purchasing and lounging experience. Inside the jewel box space, guests can cozy up to the bar, where a budtender can prepare for you custom offerings like a freshly-packed bong, or a hand-rolled joint. If you make your way in with a larger group, you can sit at one of the many booths around the store.

Pickleball has become the unexpected trendiest hobby of the year. Enter Painted Pickle, a new high-end pickleball arena opening up in Atlanta, Georgia. The “compeatery” will be a new hotspot for visitors to compete, eat, and have fun in, thanks to the space’s indoor pickleball courts, outdoor court, and delicious dining menu. Not only can guests play ball and throw back some tipples, but the venue will also have a stage for live music, an indoor putting green, ping pong, cornhole, and a whole slew of other competitive games for all-day revelry.

Back for its 77th year, the 57th Street Art Fair will have almost 200 artists, live music, food trucks, and activities for the little ones. Taking place among the streets of Hyde Park in Chicago, Illinois, this epic art fair displays works from artists around the country and allows attendees to peruse, chat, and shop to their heart’s content. You’ll find everything from photography, leatherwork, glasswork, and sculptures to ceramics, jewelry, and fiber art here. Best of all, the event, which takes place June 1 and 2, is free to attend and prides itself on being the Midwest’s oldest juried art fair.

Forget cherry blossoms and instead opt for good ol’ cherries at Traverse City, Michigan’s annual festival. Hailed as the world's cherry capital, Traverse City hosts this family-friendly festival every year. This year, it will take place from June 29 through July 6 and will host live music performances, parades, carnival rides, farmers markets, an air show, and, of course, plenty of food. Try your hand at cherry pit spittin’ or pie eatin’ to impress the locals, or simply indulge in your favorite comestibles over this eight-day affair.

With the new Mean Girls movie musical slated to release in January, it’s no coincidence that Bucketlisters will be hosting a bicoastal pop-up to coincide with the movie’s debut. Beginning January 12 in Los Angeles, California, people can check out the fetch new pop-up, which features a fast-casual restaurant that offers burn book sliders and cheese fries to hungry guests. Additionally, drama queen attendees can scour the museum, showcasing iconic set pieces and original costumes from the film, as well as pose for a photo op on the winter talent show stage. Plus, you’ll be able to shop exclusive merch that everyone will be totally jealous of. Come January 19, the pop-up will also debut in New York City.

This limited-time exhibition will begin its tour in Paris and later move to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. In honor of the 150th anniversary of the first impressionist exhibition, this new curation will showcase over 130 paintings, prints, photographs, and more creative mediums, to analyze the ways in which artists react to sociopolitical turmoil. The exhibit will be on display from September 8 through the beginning of 2025 and will feature works by Degas, Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, and many more acclaimed impressionist artists.

Located at Freedom Plaza in New York City, Bruce Munro’s giant immersive installation is exactly what it sounds like: A field of light. Over six acres of land is covered in a whopping 17,000 fiber-optic illuminated spheres that change colors during the dark of night. Guests can walk along the embedded pathways among them and they should expect the ethereal walk through the lights to take around 30 minutes. Tickets are free but must be purchased in advance for timed entry.

Bringing together over 800 artists and 50 different exhibitions, this explosive art event aims to explore the convergence of art and science, pursuing topics such as AI, climate change, and environmental justice. Since this theme was first announced back in 2019, it has received $19 million in funding from Getty and will debut in September throughout Southern California. A handful of cultural hubs will bring this unique programming to different institutions and neighborhoods, along with events and family and student activities.