Once again it’s that bittersweet time when we bid farewell to one year and welcome the other. Yes, it is time to say hello to 2018, which will stay with us for 365 days.

This is the year of the Commonwealth Games, the Asian Games, the Asia Cup Hockey as well as the Hockey World Cup and the Football World Cup. Too much to handle, right? Add to it the countless number of films releasing in the next 12 months and you will have your hands full. Let’s find out!

Cricket Pakistan team’s busy schedule

Pakistan Cricket team will have a busy 2018 — they will start the year with a series Down Under against New Zealand, that will be followed by series in the United Kingdom and against Zimbabwe as well. Pakistan will also play against Australia in the United Arab Emirates while will also host the Kiwis whereas will travel to South Africa to mark the end of the year.

The Greenshirts will also feature in the Asia Cup in September if India agrees to host it, otherwise the tournament is likely to go ahead without them.

Hockey Locking horns with the best in the world

The national team may not be in the best of form, but they have managed to qualify for the Hockey World Cup next year. They will take the Asia Cup Hockey Tournament in October as a practice event while they go with full force in the Hockey World Cup in November-December next year.

Football The year of FIFA World Cup

Football fans will be at their happiest in 2018 when between 14 June and 15 July, the best teams in the world will travel to Russia to participate in the biggest tournament. Led by defending champions Germany, 32 teams will play at 12 venues in 11 cities to decide who will rule the world for the next four years.

Tennis Game, set and match

Besides the many ATP and WTA events around the year, the tennis world will revolve around four Grand Slams — the Australian Open in January, the French Open and Wimbledon between May and July and the US Open in August —September. For the first time since 2013, this year Spain’s Rafael Nadal will finish the year as world number 1, as will Romania’s Simona Halep.

Multi-sports Where the best battle with the rest

Every four years, the best from the Common Wealth nations come together to play each other for gold, silver and bronze medal and, in 2018, the venue of their meet-up will be Gold Coast, Australia, from April 4 to 15.

In the same manner, all Asian nations will send their best players to the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, in August—September, in a bid to bring in medals and make their country proud.

And then there are the animated films

Movie lovers in Pakistan will get to see as many as three animated films released during a calendar year. These animated films — Allahyar and the Legend of Markhor, Tick Tock and the third installment of 3 Bahadur — are likely to make their appearance in a cinema near you, also making it the first year where more than two animated films will grace the screens.

Characters galore

The first Muslim super hero ‘BILAL’ will also make his presence in cinemas around the world along with many characters, such as Peter Rabbit, Sherlock Gnomes, Sgt. Stubby, Team Madagascar, The Incredibles and the members of Hotel Transylvania. Then the Teen Titans will appear in an animated feature film following the second outing of Wreck-It Ralph.

Fantastic Beasts will return with their second flick and Johnny Depp can be seen in action for the first time in the series.

Superheroes and beyond

The year 2018 will be the year when Avengers assemble to battle their biggest enemy — Thanos. The Avengers film will hit the screen in May, after the audience had been treated to movies of Black Panther, Tomb Raider and the sequel to Pacific Rim. Ant Man and the Wasp, Aquaman, X-Men and Robin Hood will also grace a cinema near you with their presence in their own films.

Everyone’s favourite nanny, Mary Poppins, will also make her first appearance in five decades, making the year all the more important to you.

JAN 12 — Paddington 2

JAN 26 — Arctic Justice: Thunder Squad,

    Early Man

FEB 2 — BILAL: A New Breed of Hero

FEB 9 — Peter Rabbit

FEB 16 — Black Panther

MAR 2 — Gnome Alone

MAR 9 — Gigantic

MAR 16 — Tomb Raider

MAR 23 — Pacific Rim: Uprising

MAR 23 — Sherlock Gnomes

MAR 30 — Ready Player One

APR 13 — Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero

APR 20 — Isle of Dogs

APR 20 — Duck Duck Goose

MAY 4 — Avengers: Infinity War

MAY 18 — Madagascar 4

MAY 25 — Solo: A Star Wars Story

JUN 15 — The Incredibles 2

JUN 22 — Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

JUL 6 — Ant-Man and the Wasp

JUL 13 — Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer

    Vacation

JUL 27 — Teen Titans GO To the Movies

AUG 3 — Christopher Robin

AUG 8 — Barbie

SEP 21 — Robin Hood

SEP 28 — Small Foot

OCT 5 — Venom

OCT 19 — Jungle Book

NOV 2 — X-Men: Dark Phoenix

NOV 2 — The Nutcracker and the

    Four Realms

NOV 9 — Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch

    Stole Christmas

NOV 9 — Holmes & Watson

NOV 16 — Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes

    of Grindelwald Widows

NOV 21 — Ralph Breaks the Internet:

    Wreck-It Ralph 2

DEC 14 — Mortal Engines

DEC 14 — Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

DEC 21 — Aquaman

DEC 25 — Mary Poppins Returns

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 30th, 2017