25 Selfies You Have to Take This Year

When: April 11–20

#coachella
@coachella (Twitter and Instagram)

The United States’ largest, craziest, and most famous music festival on the outskirts of Palm Springs, which began 15 years ago in 1999, is already sold out this year. This means the only way to prove you actually got tickets is to score a few selfies in the pit with headliners Arcade Fire, Muse, and OutKast. Funky Day-Glo outfit, optional. coachella.com

When: April 23

#WrigleyField
@Cubs (Twitter and Instagram)

A quintessential sports icon—and one of America’s best baseball stadiums—the second-oldest MLB stadium in the country (after Fenway) will turn 100 with a major celebration on opening day. See if you can grab a photo with the players in their vintage uniforms or of yourself enjoying the special birthday dessert. If you miss the actual day, you haven’t done Chicago till you’ve taken a selfie with the stadium’s sign. chicago.cubs.mlb.com

When: All year

#Yosemite
@YosemiteNPS (Twitter and Instagram)

On June 30, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant Act, officially guaranteeing the unique granite wilderness of Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove protection by the federal government—and creating the first state park in the world. Join in the park’s celebrations with your very own Ansel Adams–style Instagram in front of Sentinel Dome, Tioga Pass, or El Capitan. nps.gov

When: Nov. 9–11

#FotW

Nothing symbolizes the Cold War’s brutality—or Berlin’s subsequent revival—more than its eponymous wall. To commemorate the Berlin Wall’s destruction and play up themes of light and hope, thousands of illuminated helium balloons will re-create the infamous border for a 7.5-mile stretch through the city center. Take a tasteful self-portrait, and share this stunning installation with the world before the balloons are released into the sky and the wall “opened” forever. visitberlin.de

When: All year

#AceDTLA
@AceHotel (Twitter and Instagram)

The Brooklynification of Los Angeles’s Downtown continues with the ur-indie hotel chain’s takeover of the historic 1927 United Artists Theatre. Make your way past the hard-core baristas, part-time actors, and aging rockers for a few ironic photos in front of the giant neon “Jesus Saves” sign next to the rooftop bar, Upstairs. (Bonus points if you capture a celebrity in the background.) acehotel.com

When: Sept. 20–22

#Lost2014
@2014Lost (Twitter and Instagram)

We have to go back! Fanatics of the mysterious (and infuriating) ABC drama will reunite on the pristine beaches of Hawaii where the show was filmed. They’ll enjoy set tours, possible cast appearances, an epic group selfie, and heated debates about what the show was actually about. lost2014.com

When: Nov. 21–Dec. 10

#Shackleton

When Sir Ernest Shackleton attempted to circumnavigate the world via the South Pole on August 8, 1914, his ship got stuck in the ice. Retrace the heroic steps of the Endurance Expedition (in much warmer boots) on an Antarctic voyage of your own—such as Ice Track Expeditions’ Shackleton Centenary Voyage—for a glacial selfie (and friend-network envy) that will live, frozen, in your memory. shackleton100.org

When: June 12–July 13

• #WorldCup
• #Brazil2014
• @FIFAWorldCup (Twitter)

Forget the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics—both were letdowns anyway. Instead, focus your attention on this summer’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Even if you can’t score a selfie inside one of the stadium games, you can still throw face paint, a smile, and a #USA hashtag up on Twitter. fifa.com

When: Aug. 25–Sept. 1

#BurningMan
@BurningMan (Twitter)

The week before Labor Day, this festival–cum–social experiment will transform the remote Black Rock Desert near Gerlach, NV, into a temporary city bursting with art, community, and mind-expanding openness. No running water, no money, no problem. Most burners (as festival participants call themselves) leave their cell phones behind too, but as the event grows more popular—last year saw nearly 70,000 participants—so do the number of dusty selfies appearing on Facebook. burningman.com

When: Springtime onward

• #NewFantasyland
• #WaltDisneyWorld
• @WaltDisneyWorld (Twitter and Instagram)

The newest attraction at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, a thrill ride with a Snow White theme, is also bound to be one of its most popular. Don’t worry about how you’re going to take that family selfie without losing your phone on the ride; there’s bound to be one of those roller-coaster photo machines to do it for you. Instead, pose out front—it’s Disney street cred even if you’re too chicken to try it out. disneyworld.disney.go.com

When: April 21 onward

#JohnMuirWay
@JohnMuirWay (Twitter)

Commemorate the life of celebrated Scottish-American conservationist and U.S. National Parks founder John Muir with a journey down Scotland’s just-completed version of the Appalachian Trail—or join in artist-led festivities during the first annual John Muir Festival, April 17–26, which marks the trail’s official opening. Make your best William Wallace face while documenting your 134-mile trek across Central Scotland. johnmuirway.org

When: Summer onward

#WWoHP
@UniversalOrlando (Instagram)

The first time the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened, rabid fans waited more than six hours just to get into the park. A selfie in the new Diagon Alley attraction will be as rare as the elder wand. universalorlando.com

When: May 4–Nov. 10

#ArtRave
@LadyGaga (Twitter and Instagram)

When Lady Gaga launches her blowout new tour in Fort Lauderdale, FL, you can expect the music-fashion-art extravaganza to be over-the-top—with photos. Selfies in the audience! Selfies onstage! Selfies backstage with Mother Monster! (If you’re lucky.) Few pop artists manage to embody (or inspire) the creative narcissism of the genre as much as she does. And given Gaga’s love of technology and her social media savvy, don’t be surprised if your concert selfie somehow makes it into the show. ladygaga.com

When: All year

#SonDoongCave

The world’s largest cave—it has its own river and jungle ecosystems!—is open to public adventure tours for the first time since it was discovered in 2009. If you’re willing to make the six-hour trek to its mouth, how can you not take a selfie of yourself while you’re rappelling into it? oxalis.com.vn

When: April onward

#TavernOnTheGreen
@TavernOnTheGreen (Instagram)

The iconic Central Park restaurant has undergone a massive renovation and will finally reopen its doors after half a decade. It’s destined to be a tourist must-see—and special-occasion mainstay—so a selfie in its Victorian Gothic digs shows you’re no Big Apple neophyte. After all, you are in the No. 2 Selfiest City in the world. tavernonthegreen.com

When: Aug. 9–16

#GayGames
@GG9Cleveland (Twitter and Instagram)

Russia’s Winter Olympics became notorious for its anti-gay laws, despite lip service to the contrary. So stick it to Putin by grabbing some snaps with the world’s best LGBT athletes when they gather for this inclusive Olympics-style sports competition and queer culture fest. Participants will be competing for gold in disciplines including track and field, swimming, martial arts, bodybuilding, darts—and DanceSport! gg9cle.com

When: May 23 onward

#ruINSANE
@SchlitterbahnWaterparks (Instagram)

Are you crazy enough to take a photo on the world’s tallest waterslide? It’s taller than Niagara Falls and the Statue of Liberty and goes faster than a cheetah—the four-person raft is more roller coaster than slide. And water-park king Schlitterbahn, with its playful, prodding hashtag #ruINSANE, is daring you to risk it. Just watch the video. And be careful not to get your phone wet on the 264 knee-shaking steps to the top of the 170-foot monster. theverruckt.com

When: April 26–27

#ShakespearesBirthday
@ShakespeareBT (Twitter)

Fans of the Bard will gather in Shakespeare’s birthplace for a special weekend-long celebration fit for the king of Elizabethan drama—and high schoolers everywhere. Grab a selfie in the costumed procession, while laying flowers at the playwright’s grave, or in the audience at the new Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre. shakespearesbirthday.org.uk

When: Sept. 27–April 26, 2015

#AiWeiwei
@aiww (Twitter and Instagram)

Though the celebrated Chinese artist and activist can’t leave China—thanks to his own incarceration and ongoing classification as a dissident—the arts nonprofit For-Site Foundation will install new site-specific works (sculpture, sounds, multimedia) on his behalf in the notorious former prison’s first floor, including some new restricted areas open to the public. Good luck trying to out-selfie Ai Weiwei, though—he’s a master selfie taker. for-site.org

When: January–June

#VienneseBall

It’s been 200 years since the Congress of Vienna brought both peace to Europe and ball culture to Vienna. Waltz away the occasion at one of its 450 annual balls, from traditional black tie to more relaxed dances, including the Life Ball (May 31), which features a fashion-show fund-raiser for HIV/AIDS research outside the Gothic city hall; and the glittering Fête Impériale (June 27) at the Spanish Riding School. Or plan ahead for the classic Opera Ball (Feb. 12, 2015).

When: Oct. 1 onward

#Shinkansen

Tōkaidō Shinkansen, the world’s first high-speed railway, celebrates its golden anniversary this year, and several tour companies are joining the party with Japan-by-bullet-train packages. True Shinkansen enthusiasts will want to book a ticket between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka on October 1, in order to relive the rail’s inaugural 1964 voyage, a 130 mph journey that coincided with the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. (Speeds nudge 168 mph today.) shinkansen.co.jp

When: July 24–27

#SDCC
@Comic_Con (Twitter)

The geek world gathers yet again at this epic confluence of Hollywood, comic books, video games, and science fiction culture, the biggest and buzziest of all the ’cons. Selfie opportunities abound with the numerous cosplay enthusiasts (people who dress up as famous characters). But the real prize is a shot or two with a flesh-and-blood celebrity—if you can manage to spot them in the crowd. comic-con.org

When: May onward

#GlacierSkywalk
@GlacierSkywalk (Twitter)

This unique sightseeing platform in Western Canada, one of the world’s coolest new tourist attractions, juts out over Jasper National Park’s Sunwapta Valley for unprecedented views of the dramatic mountain landscape. And like the Grand Canyon Skywalk before it, the Glacier Skywalk’s floors are glass, making it primo fodder for that special kind of expertly-angled-falling-into-the-abyss stomach churner of a selfie. glacierskywalk.ca

When: June 27–Oct. 19

#Koons
@WhitneyMuseum (Twitter)

Just as Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room took Facebook by storm last year, expect Jeff Koons’s massive sculptures and cheeky ready-mades to reflect the mugs of your more artistically inclined friends when they take over the Whitney later this year. whitney.org

When: All year

#HighRoller
@TheLinq (Twitter and Instagram)

Las Vegas’s coolest new attraction isn’t a casino—it’s a Ferris wheel. The High Roller will take you 550 feet above The Linq, an outdoor mall, dining, and entertainment complex between The Flamingo and The Quad, for beautiful views of the Strip. The 30-minute ride is enough time for, what, at least 25 selfies? thelinq.com