The Coolest New Attractions of 2016

Hear ye, muggles and wizards: Hogwarts is coming to Hollywood. After the roaring success of the Harry Potter theme park at Universal Studios in Orlando (which may host an actual, real-life Yule Ball this December), the attraction is making its way west. The village of Hogsmeade, Hogwarts castle, Gringotts Bank—after the attraction’s April opening you’ll be able to explore them all with a frothy mug of butterbeer in hand.

The long-awaited new site of Rio’s Museum of Image and Sound is due to open on lively Copacabana Beach this year, just in time for the Olympics. The 10,000-square-foot, Diller Scofidio + Renfro structure of concrete and steel was inspired by the iconic black-and-white, wavy mosaics that line Copacabana’s promenade, and will be an avant-garde home for galleries, a theater, a restaurant, and even a nightclub.

Paris’s most iconic museum is gearing up to debut an outpost in the United Arab Emirates. The new $650 million Louvre, designed by architect Jean Nouvel, will reside in Abu Dhabi’s Cultural District, which might just be the next big international art destination when the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and Zayed National Museum join the neighborhood.

Sydney’s underutilized Darling Harbour precinct is getting a glossy new face-lift. Come December, the more than $2.5 billion, 50-acre project will boast a new convention center, a 35-story luxury hotel, retail space, restaurants, public parks and squares and much more.

The long-delayed, $3.9 billion depot, designed by Santiago Calatrava, opened this March—commuters have been using parts of it for a few months now, but the main event, Calatrava’s striking, winged Oculus structure, is finally ready for use. The hub looks like it will transport you straight to another galaxy, and it just might. No one ever claimed Jersey was on this planet, after all.

That famous mouse continues his global domination, this time with the opening of Shanghai Disneyland in June. And in continuing with the Chinese tradition of doing everything on a massive scale, expect big things from this theme park, too. You’ll have to fly to Shanghai if you want to check out the state-of-the-art, TRON Lightcycle Power Run thrill ride, since you won’t find it stateside. Consider staying at the 800-room Toy Story Hotel (also opening in June) and dining at the Ratatouille-themed Parisian bakery.

When it opens in May in the hills of Birzeit, north of Jerusalem, the $30 million Palestinian Museum will be the first venue of its kind: a cultural center dedicated to sharing the history and diverse narratives of the Palestinian diaspora across the globe. The Dublin-based design firm, Heneghan Peng, conceived the ultra-contemporary structure—a series of interlocking triangles—and are also the team behind the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza.

Soccer/football fanatics, rejoice! FIFA has thus far not lett its endless parade of controversies get in the way of delivering the world’s most definitive ode to the sport this February. Expect more than 1,000 exhibits from across the globe, along with what might be your only chance to see an actual FIFA World Cup trophy up close.

This one’s been around for a few months now, but it more than merits a mention: the Broad Museum, a $140 million undertaking constructed for the 2,000-piece collection of billionaires Eli and Edythe Broad, was unveiled in September in downtown Los Angeles. And if you didn’t make it there in 2015, you have to add it to the top of your 2016 to-do list. The dramatic Diller Scofidio + Renfro structure showcases the Broads’ postwar and contemporary art collection, and admission is free for everyone. If the opening exhibit, featuring works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, and Jasper Johns, is any indication, California’s art connoisseurs are in for a treat.

The Smithsonian’s latest museum, located next to the Washington Monument, showcases personal artifacts from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries to build an impressive collection showcasing African American history. See them all in a building designed by Tanzanian-born British architect, David Adjaye. Even his façade is symbolic: the bronze mesh that shrouds the exterior is a tribute to the talented casters that emerged from the first generation of freed slaves.

Getting a visa to visit Saudi Arabia might not be the easiest thing in the world, but if you do make it there, a stop at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in the eastern city of Dhahran will soon become a requisite on any Kingdom itinerary. The nebulous, otherworldly façade (made by individually bent and wrapped steel tubes), designed by Norwegian firm Snøhetta, will house a museum, auditorium, cinema, library, and an innovation center known as the Keystone project.

The Belgian city of Liège is having a bit of a moment—it’s one of our Best Places to Travel in 2016—thanks to great strides in architecture, design, and cuisine. With the May opening of the Boverie, you can add art to the mix. This striking museum, which counts the Louvre as artistic advisor, will showcase works by the likes of Monet, Cézanne, and Van Gogh.

Taipei is gearing up for a busy year as the World Design Capital 2016, and the centerpiece of the 12-month reign is poised to be the much-lauded opening of the Rem Koolhaus and David Gianotten-designed Taipei Performing Arts Center. The standout feature of the three-theater complex is a giant sphere embedded into the exterior of the structure.

The Marrakech Museum for Photography and Visual Art (MMVA) opened without a home in 2013, occupying the city’s historical El Badii Palace. But that was just a temporary abode. Starchitect David Chipperfield has been busy at work on a stunning permanent home for the collection, set to open this year. It’s said to be the largest photography museum anywhere in the world.

With a glut of new theme parks—including one dedicated to Bollywood—Dubai seems to be determined to become the fun capital of the world. But we’re particularly intrigued by “Hollywood in the Desert,” also known as the Motiongate Dubai at Dubai Parks & Resorts. It’s dedicated to bringing your favorite blockbusters to life, and highlights include Smurfs Village, Ghostbusters and the Green Lantern at Sony Pictures Studios, and Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar at Dreamworks. Admittedly, we’re most excited about the Lionsgate section, which will boast the only Hunger Games attraction anywhere in the world.

When it opens in June, the new addition to London’s vaunted Tate Modern will be the talk of the art world. Pritzker Prize-winning architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron created the angular addition that will feature more galleries along with spaces for performance, education, and socializing.

The new home of the Greek National Opera House is nothing short of a triumph. The dramatic new Renzo Piano structure in Athens’ Kallithea district, topped by what’s described as a “flying carpet,” is a gift of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (as is the adjacent National Library of Greece). The whole complex promises to be one of the most technologically advanced on the continent.

Later this year, Ghent will see the opening of a particularly blessed food hall. Set in a 16th-century chapel, this gastronomic wonderland will boast a warren of culinary options beneath the soaring vaulted ceilings. But don’t let the Old World setting mislead you: the interiors promise to be super minimalist.

The late-October opening of Beirut’s new contemporary art museum was an important culture move in a city that’s too often struck by turmoil. The project, spearheaded by Lebanese fashion mogul and art collector Tony Salamé, boasts an intricate geometrical façade courtesy British architect David Adjaye; inside, you’ll find exhibits featuring works by Willem de Rooj, Wade Guyton, and Richard Prince, and Lebanese artists Akram Zaatari, Rayyane Tabet, and Ziad Antar. More about this opening, this way.

This “new” attraction is by far the oldest on this list. The ancient city of Pompeii was decimated by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., and post-excavation it’s gone on to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Italy’s top tourist attractions. In December, six new restored villas were unveiled to the public, giving unprecedented insight into what pre-eruption life might have looked like, complete with colorful mosaics and frescoes. Among the new additions: a wealthy merchant’s manse, a laundry house, and a fabric store. Another reason to visit (or revisit) Pompeii in 2016? Elton John is rumored to be performing there this summer. Talk about a venue!

The soaring new Dubai Opera House evokes a dhow, the traditional sailing vessel, and houses a 2,000-seat theater that will host opera, ballet, and theatrical performances. The Opera House will be the anchor of the new Dubai Opera District in Downtown Dubai, the city’s cultural hub complete with hotels, apartments, shopping, and more. This is just one part of a major design boom diffusing across the metropolis.

One of California’s most beloved contemporary art museums (and its most lengthy acronyms) is hard at work at a sprawling new addition that promises to double its existing size. When the museum reopens in May after a nearly three-year closure, the new Snøhetta-designed extension will add 235,000 square feet.

Clearly, famed architecture firm Herzog & De Meuron is having yet another busy year. In Milan, the firm is working on a new building for the Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Foundation, which was founded in 1949 as an intellectual center for documenting and researching contemporary society. The foundation’s crown jewel is its vast library—1.5 million archival documents, 20,000 photographs, 200,000 monographs, and much more—and it’s poised to get a modern new home atop an ancient foundation. Cafés, restaurants, and shops on the ground level will be open to the public.

This December, Park City became the country’s largest skiable area by linking Park City and Canyons resorts. In all it spans an impressive 7,300 acres. The $50 million Quicksilver Gondola came just in time for ski season, giving skiers access to 300 trails and 41 lifts. Now it’s easier than ever to have a perfect day in this ski empire.

How could the grande dame of New York City museums possibly get better? The Met knew it was time for a bit of a facelift for its contemporary art displays, and this March will begin showcasing it in the iconic Marcel Breuer building nearby on Madison Avenue and 75th Street. Head to the commanding Bauhaus structure to explore the museum’s collection of 20th- and 21st-century art.