Below you'll find the top 50 activities & hobbies trends for 2026, spotted by Rising Trends's trend radar algorithm.
These topics were detected from online sources including TikTok, X (Twitter), Instagram, Reddit, news outlets, and Google Search data. Each trend has at least 1,000+ monthly searches and over 20% year-over-year growth.
All activities & hobbies trends with over 20% year-over-year growth, ranked by search volume.
| # | Topic | 5Y Trend | Search Vol. | Growth 1Y |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Needoh | 4,090,000 | 55X | |
| 2 | Rhode | 1,220,000 | +171% | |
| 3 | Dumpling Squishy | 1,220,000 | +99X | |
| 4 | 3d Printer | 1,000,000 | +122% | |
| 5 | Pokemon Card | 1,000,000 | +49% | |
| 6 | Summer House | 450,000 | +173% | |
| 7 | Yerba Mate | 301,000 | +22% | |
| 8 | Tai Chi Walking | 246,000 | +99X | |
| 9 | Fifa Fan Fest Philadelphia | 246,000 | +99X | |
| 10 | Taba Squishy | 201,000 | +49% | |
| 11 | World Cup Stickers | 165,000 | +99X | |
| 12 | Sunday | 165,000 | +22% | |
| 13 | Sazan Island | 165,000 | 11X | |
| 14 | Glitter Dumpling | 165,000 | +99X | |
| 15 | Military Calisthenics | 135,000 | +99X | |
| 16 | Padel | 110,000 | +22% | |
| 17 | 3d Printing Filament | 110,000 | +49% | |
| 18 | Affordable Electric Bike | 110,000 | +49% | |
| 19 | 3d Print Files | 110,000 | +82% | |
| 20 | Smokeless Fire Pit | 110,000 | +82% | |
| 21 | Fdm 3d Printing | 90,500 | +83% | |
| 22 | Bathhouse | 90,500 | +22% | |
| 23 | Santa Tracker | 74,000 | +22% | |
| 24 | Barre Definition | 74,000 | +814% | |
| 25 | Cybersigilism | 74,000 | +22% | |
| 26 | Lego Minas Tirith | 74,000 | 84X | |
| 27 | Sports Cards | 74,000 | +22% | |
| 28 | Anime Convention | 60,500 | +49% | |
| 29 | Game Cafe | 60,500 | +173% | |
| 30 | Puppy Yoga | 60,500 | +49% | |
| 31 | Trading Cards | 60,500 | +49% | |
| 32 | Bambu Lab A1 | 49,500 | +22% | |
| 33 | Into Chinese | 49,500 | 21X | |
| 34 | Squeezy Squishy | 49,500 | +99X | |
| 35 | Electric Mountain Bike | 49,500 | +22% | |
| 36 | Free Birth Chart Calculator | 49,500 | +83% | |
| 37 | Dji Mini 4k Drone | 49,500 | +234% | |
| 38 | Perfect Order Chase Cards | 49,500 | +99X | |
| 39 | Hammam | 40,500 | +49% | |
| 40 | Sofa Pool | 40,500 | +650% | |
| 41 | Water Wiggler | 40,500 | +49% | |
| 42 | Dumpling Squishy Near Me | 40,500 | +99X | |
| 43 | Mud Kitchen | 40,500 | +82% | |
| 44 | Xfollow App | 40,500 | +49% | |
| 45 | Lego Minifigures Series 29 | 40,500 | 31X | |
| 46 | Game Tags | 40,500 | +22% | |
| 47 | Quilting Fabric | 40,500 | +49% | |
| 48 | Social Sports | 33,100 | +124% | |
| 49 | Hollow Socks | 33,100 | +124% | |
| 50 | 250th Anniversary Coin | 33,100 | 69X |
Showing top 10 of 50 activities & hobbies trends
| Category | Market Size | Growth | Leaders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fidget & Sensory Toys | ~$34B | ~12.3% CAGR | NeeDoh, Schylling |
| LEGO & Brick Building | ~$13B | ~5.9% CAGR | LEGO, Bricks & Minifigs |
| 3D Printing & Making | ~$21B | ~18.4% CAGR | Bambu Lab, Creality, Prusa |
| Word Games & Puzzles | ~$15B | ~8.7% CAGR | NYT Games, Hasbro |
| Collecting & Trading | ~$28B | ~9.4% CAGR | Pokemon, Panini, Whatnot |
| Experiences & Outdoor | ~$80B | ~10.3% CAGR | Rad Power, Lectric, REI |
CAGR = compound annual growth rate
We rebuilt this list on July 13, 2026 from our live trend database, the same feed that powers the table above. The headline: sensory toys have gone stratospheric, LEGO building is having a genuine cultural moment, 3D printers have crossed into the mainstream, and collecting has turned into a full-blown search economy. Every search-volume and growth figure below comes from that live data.
If you want to explore more trends like this across categories, sign up for Rising Trends and unlock the full experience.
Sensory toys are no longer a niche. NeeDoh has become the anchor of the entire category at 6.12 million monthly searches, a breakout term still climbing +83% over the past three months. Around it sits a whole squishy ecosystem: dumpling squishy has broken out to 1.83 million searches (up +233% in three months), squishy dumpling adds another 673,000, glitter dumpling has surged to 301,000, and the nee doh nice cube is up +1,927% year over year at 450,000 searches.
What began as a self-regulation tool for neurodivergent kids has become a mainstream desk-toy and collecting habit, driven by satisfying textures and an endless stream of TikTok clips.
Sensory toys are exploding because:
NeeDoh (6.12M searches, breakout): The squeezable stress ball has become the category's Kleenex, still climbing +83% over the last three months. Schylling makes them.
Dumpling Squishy (1.83M searches, +233% over three months): Soft silicone dumplings you can squeeze, squish, and pop, equal parts toy and desk ornament.
Squishy Dumpling (673,000 searches, breakout): The alternate phrasing carries its own huge search base, a sign the trend is bigger than any single brand.
Glitter Dumpling (301,000 searches, breakout): The sparkly evolution of the dumpling squishy, pairing visual sparkle with tactile satisfaction.
Nee Doh Nice Cube (450,000 searches, +1,927% YoY): A cube-shaped NeeDoh variant that has become one of the fastest-rising sensory searches of the year.
Brick building has become one of the biggest hobby stories of the year. LEGO commands 2.74 million monthly searches (+22% year over year), but the real signal is where the growth sits. Resale chain bricks and minifigs has jumped +399% to 823,000 searches, and Lord of the Rings sets have gone vertical: lego minas tirith is a breakout at 201,000 searches, with minas tirith lego set (90,500) and lego minifigures series 29 (74,000) close behind. Licensed crossovers keep feeding it, with lego pokemon sets up +400% year over year at 40,500 searches.
The adult LEGO fan is now the center of gravity. Display-worthy sets, resale value, and blockbuster licenses have turned a childhood toy into a premium collecting hobby.
Brick building is booming because:
LEGO (2.74M searches, +22% YoY): The umbrella term keeps climbing as the adult-fan audience expands well beyond the toy aisle.
Bricks and Minifigs (823,000 searches, +399% YoY): The buy-sell-trade resale chain is the year's clearest sign that LEGO is now a secondary market, not just a purchase.
LEGO Minas Tirith (201,000 searches, breakout): The massive Lord of the Rings set drove one of the biggest display-set search spikes of the year.
LEGO Minifigures Series 29 (74,000 searches, breakout): Blind-bag figure collecting continues to generate its own dedicated search demand.
LEGO Pokemon Sets (40,500 searches, +400% YoY): The Pokemon crossover has become a fast-rising sub-line inside the licensed-set boom.
Desktop manufacturing has fully crossed over. 3d printer now pulls 1.5 million monthly searches at +173% year over year, roughly double the volume it held at the start of the year. The technical searches are rising with it: fdm 3d printing is up +647% at 60,500 searches, and 3d printing filament holds 110,000 searches (+82% YoY) as buyers move from browsing hardware to actually feeding it.
3D printing has crossed the threshold from expensive nerd hobby to accessible creative tool, thanks largely to plug-and-play machines that print well straight out of the box.
Consumer 3D printing is surging because:
3D Printer (1.5M searches, +173% YoY): The umbrella term has nearly doubled in volume, the clearest sign the hobby has gone mainstream.
FDM 3D Printing (60,500 searches, +647% YoY): Interest in the filament-based process is climbing as newcomers learn how the machines actually work.
3D Printing Filament (110,000 searches, +82% YoY): Consumable demand is a strong health signal, proof that buyers are printing, not just shopping.
The daily-puzzle habit has matured into pure infrastructure. Wordle hint still pulls a massive 4.09 million monthly searches and nyt connections holds 2.74 million, though both have settled back -18% year over year as the frenzy normalizes into routine. Mini crossword sits at 550,000 searches, well off its peak, while strands unlimited is the fresh riser at 49,500 searches (+50% YoY), proof that players still want more puzzles than the daily limit allows.
The novelty has faded, but the habit hasn't. These games are now a fixed part of millions of morning routines, which is exactly why the search volume stays enormous even as growth cools.
Word games and puzzles endure because:
Wordle Hint (4.09M searches): Years after going viral, Wordle is still a daily habit for millions, and the "hint" query shows people want help without giving up.
NYT Connections (2.74M searches): The word-grouping puzzle has become the second pillar of the NYT Games habit, holding enormous volume.
Mini Crossword (550,000 searches): The under-two-minute crossword remains a morning ritual, with solvers tracking their times competitively.
Strands Unlimited (49,500 searches, +50% YoY): The newest NYT word game has already spawned demand for unlimited play beyond the daily limit.
Collecting has become its own search economy. Pokemon card leads at 1.22 million monthly searches (+48% year over year), and the behavior around it is exploding. Live-shopping app whatnot is up +83% at 823,000 searches, pokemon vending machine has climbed +172% to 246,000, and niche searches like perfect order chase cards (a breakout) and world cup stickers (a breakout tied to the 2026 tournament) show collectors tracking scarcity in real time. Even everyday carry, the gear-curation hobby, is up +309% over three months at 450,000 searches.
Whether the item is a graded card, a sticker, or a curated pocket kit, buyers are treating collectibles like assets. Not everything is rising, though: last year's blind-box darlings have cooled, with popmart down -89% and sonny angel off -70% year over year.
Collecting is booming because:
Pokemon Card (1.22M searches, +48% YoY): One of the category's largest terms, driven by collecting, grading, and investment interest.
Whatnot (823,000 searches, +83% YoY): The live-shopping platform has become the default venue for card breaks and collectible auctions.
Pokemon Vending Machine (246,000 searches, +172% YoY): In-store and mall machines have become a search-driving retail experience of their own.
World Cup Stickers (110,000 searches, breakout): Sticker album collecting has broken out ahead of the 2026 tournament, a classic event-driven spike.
Everyday Carry (450,000 searches, +309% over three months): The pocket-gear curation hobby keeps climbing as buyers optimize knives, lights, and wallets.
Off-screen activity is where the freshest movement lives. Social venues are booming: game cafe is up +646% year over year at 135,000 searches, and wellness-driven bathhouse visits are up +82% at 135,000. The broad getting outside term holds 550,000 searches, military calisthenics has broken out to 165,000, and summer has its own surge, with water parks near me (823,000) and splash pad near me (368,000) spiking on seasonal demand. Electric bikes anchor the gear side: affordable electric bike is up +82% at 135,000 searches, and electric mountain bike adds 49,500 (+50% YoY).
The through-line is participation over passivity. People want places to go, movement that feels social, and gear that lowers the barrier to getting outside.
Experience and outdoor activity are surging because:
Game Cafe (135,000 searches, +646% YoY): Board-game and gaming cafes are one of the fastest-rising experience searches of the year.
Bathhouse (135,000 searches, +82% YoY): Sauna, steam, and cold-plunge bathing culture keeps expanding into major cities.
Military Calisthenics (165,000 searches, breakout): Bodyweight, no-equipment training has broken out as a rugged, low-cost fitness routine.
Affordable Electric Bike (135,000 searches, +82% YoY): Budget e-bikes remain the fastest-growing slice of the outdoor-gear category.
Electric Mountain Bike (49,500 searches, +50% YoY): Trail-ready e-MTBs let riders climb farther and ride longer, widening the sport's audience.
Worth a note: last year's viral tai chi walking has cooled, down -33% over three months after its earlier spike, a reminder that even wellness trends cycle.
The activities and hobbies landscape of 2026 shows a society craving tactile, social, and off-screen experiences as a counterbalance to digital saturation. Whether people are squishing NeeDoh (6.12M searches), building LEGO display sets (2.74M), running a 3D printer (1.5M, +173%), keeping a Wordle streak alive (4.09M), tracking Pokemon card values (1.22M, +48%), or discovering a game cafe (+646%), the common thread is active participation over passive consumption.
The winning approaches in hobbies now share these characteristics:
For entrepreneurs and investors, the data points to several high-growth opportunities: collectible sensory toys, licensed and display-first building sets, affordable 3D printers and filament, live-commerce tools for collectors, and e-bike brands targeting new riders. See how Rising Trends helps you find trending products before they peak.
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