Bengaluru’s food and beverage scene is moving away from volume driven growth towards clearer purpose. If 2025 was about sharpening identity, 2026 will be about applying it with confidence. The most successful restaurants and bars will do fewer things, but do them well, guided by strong narratives and consistent execution. Restaurants will embrace restraint, with tighter menus and ingredient led dishes that clearly express a point of view. Spaces relying only on ambience or hype will find it harder to sustain interest. Bars, too, are entering a more mature phase, focusing on flavour clarity, balance and well-designed social energy. Expect more ritual driven micro experiences such as martini hours or compact tasting formats. Pop ups will remain important for testing ideas and collaborations. Breweries will seek identity rather than volume, bakehouses will become part of everyday routines and coffee culture will deepen. Behind the scenes, artificial intelligence (AI) will quietly improve operations and personalisation, supporting better hospitality without replacing human craft
Predictions have always haunted human history – from Nostradamus’ cryptic verses to the oddly prescient jokes of The Simpsons. As 2026 approaches, the global economy feels poised on a ledge, and the much-hyped AI bubble seems destined to deflate – fading from spectacle into infrastructure, embedded quietly in emails, contracts, diagnostics, customer service and code. As trust continues to erode in institutions, credibility will migrate toward individuals – writers, teachers, practitioners, and builders – who carry lived experience, moral clarity and the courage to speak plainly. In parallel, craft will return – not as luxury, but as truth. Handmade objects, books, print, physical spaces, long walks and slow conversations will acquire renewed cultural weight. Not nostalgia, but resistance. In a world flooded with generated content, clear thinking – clearly expressed – will stand out. Essays and long-form arguments will quietly regain power. 2026 may not be a year of breakthroughs – but it will be a year of reckoning, when older questions return: What is worth doing? What deserves care? What will last?
In 2026, the rizzlers will be very sus, and love is giving 6-7. Everyone’s salty. Big weddings will be giving ick, but the bruhs are gonna look for their twin, be total pookies. No simping. Talk about long term things, the fam will dip, even if they are looksmaxxing. But the one thing everyone seems to agree on – we are all cooked!
I see a strong return to roots and nostalgia as an emerging trend. A lot of retrospectives of senior artists have been happening and there will be a focus on rediscovering established artists. There is a renewed interest in handcrafted works that embrace human connections. In a world that is weary of endless wars and conflicts, it is but natural that artists respond with artworks that stress the need for peace and speak up as voices of the oppressed. Artists are focusing on uniting them with artworks that celebrate our differences. 2026 seems to be an exciting year for the country as the world has been showing keen interest in Indian artists. However, the political interference in the functioning of most cultural institutions is a cause of concern because authoritarianism ultimately puts artistic expression at risk. The interest in art has been gaining momentum and art exhibitions have been attracting people from all walks of life. This trend would lead to more initiatives for public art.
People will treat ChatGPT and other AI apps with suspicion. We will become nostalgic about the time when typos were commonplace. LinkedIn influencers will continue to preach about simple acts like eating an aloo paratha. Work-from-home will die a quiet death. Podcasts will become the new Instagram reels. Weddings will get smaller, but wedding hashtags will get annoyingly longer. We will finally start reading nutrition labels before buying products. Dating apps will add a filter for emotional availability. Apartment complexes will set up their own rules and Constitutions. Politicians will continue to function without being questioned. Standup comedians will bear the responsibility of changing society. Restaurant portions will get smaller, but the prices will continue to rise. A generation of cricket lovers will face heartbreak when their heroes are asked to hang up their boots. Cinema in theatres will make a big comeback. People on the Internet will realise that being kind is better than being funny. Bengaluru traffic will be the same, but it will continue to be an extremely cool city to live in.
What’s moving the fitness industry in 2026 is not trends that fade but systems that deliver measurable outcomes. If your offering doesn’t speak to data, function and behaviour change, you won’t stay relevant. Biofeedback is no longer just tracking steps. Workouts will be based on what the body actually needs – readiness, recovery, stress and output guide the plan and data drives the decision. Attention spans are short and people want efficiency, not just intensity. Workouts will continue to get shorter and more effective. Think 10 to 20 minute high-impact sessions tied to clear outcomes. Mental resilience and stress management are no longer optional, they’re measurable priorities. The same goes for recovery, integrated nutrition and behaviour coaching. Clients want precision, personalisation, and proof of progress. Apps and studios that build real social accountability will win. In India, senior fitness is still overlooked. But abroad it’s going to be further emphasised.
After 2025 saw the resurgence of Y2K fashion and 70s aesthetics, 2026 will continue in the “What’s old is cool” direction, as bespoke fashion house House of Three’s founder Sounak Sen Barat puts it. He adds, “In the era of conflicts, (Ukraine, Gaza, chaotic transition phase of shifting world orders) everyone is looking for stability and stillness. Gen Z grew up with online shopping at the push of a button, now they want the opposite. They want to touch and feel things – less flash, more depth. Warm tones, handmade cable knits, ’50s inspired silhouettes, textures and tones. If your brand doesn’t have a point of view and a narrative, it gets scrolled past.” When it comes to makeup, the subtle styles of the last few years are expected to continue but with a slightly sculpted shift. “Creamy skin with just a cool red or berry shade of blush to add a pop of colour, is going to be in. The ‘w’ shaped blush popular last year is out, with blush now placed higher, on the cheekbones and blended into the hairline. This gives a subtle sculpted look without using any bronzer, contour or excessive highlighter,” explains celebrity makeup artist Rashida Pavthiwala. She adds that popular lip looks are going to one of two extremes, saying, “It will either be a subtle tinted lip gloss look with no liner or a bolder look with berry or dark brown liner filled in with a very reflective gloss.”