Finding so many extraordinary offerings to showcase in this Ultimate Events edition is a wonderful feeling. You are sure to recognize many of the social engagements taking pop culture’s center stage. Even if you can’t hit the road to learn new things and meet new people, achieving those feats online is easier than ever. With ready access to groundbreaking festivals the world over, prepare to disrupt your personal metaverse for good.

Follow this link to explore this year’s Nashville Film Festival, running 24 to 30 September.

September Events

• 21 August – 7 September | The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) — Toronto
• 30 August – 7 September | Burning Man — Black Rock City
• 1–4 | CEDIA Expo — Denver
• 1–30 | Detroit Month of Design
• 2 | The MarTech Conference — Virtual
• 2–5 | Frieze Seoul
• 2–12 | Venice International Film Festival
• 3 | The Next Room, Building, or Brand: Where is Design Headed — Miami
• 4–5 | D2 Architectural Visualization Conference — Budapest
• 4–6 | Earl Scruggs Music Festival — Mill Spring
• 4–7 | PAX West — Seattle
• 4–7 | Telluride Film Festival
• 4–8 | IFA Berlin — Berlin & Online
• 6–8 | PLASA Show — London
• 9 | LeBook Connections Amsterdam
• 9–10 | K:BOS — Boston
• 9–10 | Fundamentals of Investor Relations — Virtual
• 9–11 | Berlin Commercial Festival
• 9–13 | Ars Electronica Festival — Linz & Online
• 10 | Beyond AI Adoption: What Marketers Trust AI to Do — Virtual
• 10 | Creativepool Annual 2026 Launch Ceremony — London
• 10 | Reddit: The Comms & Marketing Playbook — Virtual
• 10 | SEGD PPG | Wayfinding and Experiential Graphics — Virtual
• 10–20 | Toronto International Film Festival — Toronto & Online
• 11 | Glossy Pop NYC
• 11 | Half Rez — Chicago
• 11–13 | Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion
• 11–14 | IBC Show — Amsterdam & Online
• 11–16 | New York Fashion Week — NYC
• 12 | Night at the Abbey — Gloucester
• 12–20 | London Design Festival
• 14–16 | Digiday Publishing Summit — Miami
• 14–17 | Fast Company Innovation Festival — NYC
• 14 | Women in Power — NYC
• 15 | EMARKETER’s Future of Digital Summit — NYC
• 15 | The Marketing Metric Survival Guide — Virtual
• 15 | The Communications Measurement Virtual Conference — Virtual
• 15–16 | Ad Age Business of Brands — NYC
• 15–17 | Brandweek — Atlanta
• 15–19 | Design Shenzhen
• 15–17 | Dreamforce — San Francisco & Online
• 15–27 | Global Peace Film Festival — Orlando
• 16 | Future Now Symposium — NYC
• 16 | Marketing Vanguard Inspiration Excursion — Atlanta
• 16 | Museum Ideas 2026 International Conference — London
• 16–18 | Surf Expo — Orlando
• 16–18 | Unbound — Boston
• 17 | Pictoplasma NYC
• 17–18 | Brand New Conference — Nashville
• 17–20 | Creative Summer Camp — Portland
• 17–24 | Fantastic Fest — Austin
• 17–18 | Variety’s Entertainment & Technology Summit — LA
• 17 September – 8 October | Professional Speaking Course for Authors — Virtual
• 18 | Medium Day Writers Conference — Virtual
• 18–19 | In Motion London
• 18–20 | Riot Fest — Chicago
• 18–26 | San Sebastian Film Festival
• 18–20 | Shaky Knees Festival — Atlanta
• 19 | Fandango Benefit Gala — Ashford
• 19 | International Coastal Cleanup — Everywhere
• 19–20 | Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival
• 21–25 | American Society of Cinematographers Master Class — Hollywood
• 21–23 | CineLATAM — Miami
• 21–23 | D.I.C.E. Europe — Athens
• 22 | Measure What Matters in Content Marketing — Virtual
• 22–24 | Elevate Festival — Toronto
• 22–27 | Lviv International Short Film Festival — Lviv
• 22–28 | SPRING/BREAK Art Show — NYC
• 22 | Virtual Conference: Unlock the Power of AI in Marketing — Virtual
• 23–26 | Antlers & Acorns, The Boone Songwriters Festival — Boone
• 23 September – 5 October | Beyond Fest — LA
• 23–24 | Digital Marketing Exposition & Conference (DMEXCO) — Cologne
• 23–24 | Ecommerce Expo — London
• 23–24 | IIEX.AI — Virtual
• 23–24 | Meta Connect — Virtual
• 23–27 | Ottawa Intl. Animation Festival
• 23–25 | SCAD AnimationFest — Atlanta
• 23 | VideoWeek Cologne
• 24 | AI Marketing Strategies — NYC
• 24–30 | 57th Nashville Film Festival
• 24–28 | Camp Mograph — Elbert
• 24–25 | Momentum AI Austin 2026 — Austin
• 24–26 | Us By Night — Antwerp
• 25 September – 12 October | New York Film Festival — NYC & Online
• 25 | World Dream Day
• 26–27 | Portola Music Festival — SF
• 27 September – 3 October | Gotham Week — Brooklyn
• 28 September – 3 October | THU 2026 — Troia
• 29 | ADVANCE — NYC
• 29 September – 6 October | March on Washington Film Festival — DC & Online
• 29 | Sourcing Journal Summit — NYC
• 29–30 | TheGrill — LA
• 30 | LA Games Conference Law and Finance Summit — LA
• 30 September – 1 October | El Dorado Festival — Altos del Chicalá
• 30 | Marketing Brew Summit — NYC

Featured Video: 57th Nashville Film Festival Trailer: Happening September 24-30, 2026, the 57th Nashville Film Festival will present an electrifying celebration of film, music, and culture across Nashville, with over 150 films from around the globe and over 24 world premieres.
Featured Image: Wolfgang Weiser via Unsplash

Over this span, I’ve had many opportunities to savor this gentleman’s monumental feats. Those awed feelings were fully present throughout every second of his wonderful Netflix documentary, ‘Being Eddie.’

Officially: “There’s only one Eddie Murphy. At 17, he was already performing stand-up in New York clubs, and a year later joined Saturday Night Live straight out of high school. From Beverly Hills Cop to The Nutty Professor, Dr. Dolittle to Donkey, Murphy has done it all and done it better than anyone. For nearly 50 years, he’s ruled comedy, film, and fame itself without ever losing his center. Being Eddie, directed by two-time Oscar® winner Angus Wall (The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), brings together icons like Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Jamie Foxx, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kevin Hart, Jerry Seinfeld, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Brian Grazer to celebrate the man who broke barriers, reinvented genres, and inspired generations. For the first time, Eddie opens his home and his heart, revealing the drive, genius, and soul behind one of the greatest entertainers of all time.”

Earlier this year, Angus was interviewed by Denton Davidson for GoldDerby.com, where he detailed the film’s COVID pivot, lining up A-list interviews, and why Mr. Murphy’s legacy and awards story is far from finished.

To gear up for this must-see film and watch it on Netflix, I recommend you start here.

Featured Video: Being Eddie | Official Trailer | Netflix
Featured Image: Key art for Being Eddie

The 2026 ESPYS will air live from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on Wednesday, July 15, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and the ESPN App.

All the latest info is available here: https://www.espn.com/espys/

The ESPYS help to raise awareness and funds for the V Foundation for Cancer Research, the charity founded by ESPN and the late basketball coach Jim Valvano at the first ESPYS in 1993. Celebrated nationwide as the biggest night in sports, the ESPYS will once again feature the world’s premier athletes, the sports world’s biggest stars, and the very best sports stories of the year. If you are able, please consider donating to the V Foundation.

Juneteenth is the oldest internationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States of America. Tracing back to Galveston, Texas, when Union General Gordon Granger and his troops enforced the Emancipation Proclamation and freed all remaining slaves in Texas on June 19, 1865, it wasn’t until 2021 that Juneteenth became a federal U.S. holiday.

The lesson shared here from Karlos K. Hill and Soraya Field Fiorio, directed by Rémi Cans of Atypicalist and presented by TED-Ed, tells us this: “Today, Juneteenth holds profound significance as a celebration of the demise of slavery, the righteous pursuit of true freedom for all, and a continued pledge to remember the past and dream the future.” View their full lesson here.

You and your loved ones are cordially invited to join more than a billion of your fellow humans to participate in Earth Day … the only global event celebrated simultaneously by people of all backgrounds, faiths, and nationalities.

On 22 April, join the world’s leaders for Earth Day 2026. There are many ways you can get involved and make a difference for our planet on Earth Day and every day. Join millions worldwide in Earth Day 2026 activities. Attend a local event or plan and register your own. To find a wealth of creative resources to help you celebrate Earth Day in your community, at home, at work and at school, visit https://www.earthday.org

This international event dates back to 1992 when the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development made a recommendation. The following year, 22 March was established as World Water Day. UN-Water sets the theme each year. The global water crisis affects everyone – but not equally. Women must shape the future of water. Where water flows, equality grows.

“Water can be a powerful force for gender equality — but only if everyone plays their part. Individuals, schools, organizations, companies and governments all have a role to play to ensure that where water flows, equality grows.”

Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge gender equality.

Today, I invite you to visit this site – https://www.internationalwomensday.com – where you can better understand how, together, we can speed up the rate of progress worldwide.

With well over a century of history and change, the first International Women’s Day (IWD) was held in March 1911. IWD isn’t country, group or organization specific. It’s a day of collective global activism and celebration that belongs to all those committed to forging women’s equality. Let’s all help fight the good fight. All IWD activity is valid, that’s what makes IWD so inclusive. Join in and make IWD your day by doing what you can to support and advance women. For even more resources and ideas, visit https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Theme.

Recognizing excellence in all areas of design enterprise, the Core77 Design Awards annually celebrates the richness of the design profession as well as the insight and perseverance of its practitioners. Now in its thirteenth year, the Awards program remains dedicated to excellence and inclusivity, offering both students and professionals the opportunity to promote their best work on a global scale across 20 design disciplines.

Last year’s winners: https://designawards.core77.com/2025/
The regular entry deadline is 27 February 2026: https://designawards.core77.com/

The 2026 Innovation by Design Awards honor the designers and businesses solving the most crucial problems of today and anticipating the pressing issues of tomorrow. The competition, now in its fifteenth year, features a range of blue-chip companies, emerging startups, and hungry young talents. It is one of the world’s most sought-after design awards.

Last year’s winners: https://www.fastcompany.com/innovation-by-design/list
The preferred-rate entry deadline is 13 March 2026: https://www.fastcompany.com/apply/innovation-by-design

The Creativepool Annual prides itself as being the most innovative, inclusive and rewarding industry awards program. With free categories, juror feedback, and People’s Choice, The Annual proudly calls itself “The Most Award.”

Last year’s winners: https://creativepool.com/annual/2025/
The entry deadline is 23 April 2026: https://creativepool.com/annual/2026/

Since 1959, Communication Arts has published the best in visual communications from around the world, and the publication’s venerable Award of Excellence is one of the most coveted awards in the industry. Curated by a jury of leading design professionals, creators of works featured in the Communication Arts Design and Advertising Annuals are considered among the highest ranks of their professions worldwide.

Last year’s winners:
https://www.commarts.com/magazine/2025-design
https://www.commarts.com/magazine/2025-advertising
Design entries are due by 8 May, and Advertising entries are due by 26 June 2026: https://www.commarts.com/competitions

Together with my family, I am sending my warmest thoughts to many friends and colleagues worldwide, and feeling a lot of gratitude. I truly appreciate your help in sending daily clicks to https://GreaterGood.com, where our simple mouseclicks can benefit a number of vital causes each and every day.

• The non-profit BeLoved Asheville was established in 2009 with the goal of ending homelessness, poverty, prejudice, and injustice. With the power of community at the heart of its mission, BeLoved embodies love in Asheville and beyond through its Homeless Voice empowerment project, Mutual Support Resource Center, Free Village Farmers Markets, Community Support, Rise Up Studio Art & Music Collective, Street Medic Team, Sanctuary, House Hunters, Grove St. Gardens, and Community-Driven Justice Campaigns. BeLoved promotes social and economic justice, and supports everyone’s rights to the fullness of life in partnership of numerous organizations.
• The Feeding America network is the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, working to connect people with food and end hunger. Donors, staff, and volunteers all play an important role in our efforts to end hunger in the United States.
• Since 1998, Gobble Gobble Give has spent every Thanksgiving feeding the homeless directly. In major cities across America, this group assembles meals, clothing, and care kits for the homeless and its volunteers take these packages directly to the homeless and in-need.

Great things are shaping up, thanks to you and everyone else making plans to participate in the annual #GivingTuesday festivities. This movement began in 2012 as an organized effort dedicated to giving back. As a result, on Tuesday, 2 Dec., charities, families, businesses, community centers, students, and others all around the world will come together to celebrate generosity and to give.

Participation is simple. First, find some way for you, your family, your community, your company or your organization to come together to give something more. Then, tell everyone what you’re doing. The results are sure to contribute to this important new tradition of generosity.

The official website is https://www.givingtuesday.org, and you can also follow this link to download the Social Media Toolkit offering tips on how best to leverage your network and social media sites for this most worthwhile opportunity to make the world better: https://www.givingtuesday.org/participate/