2042 (MMXLII) will be a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2042nd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 42nd year of the 3rd millennium, the 42nd year of the 21st century, and the 3rd year of the 2040s decade.

• January 1 – Books, movies, and other works published in 1946 will enter the public domain in the United States.

• The 2042 Winter Olympics will be held.
• The Nickelodeon Time Capsule will be opened, 50 years since It was sealed, in 1992