It might not come in the form of an announcement but I think Lightning will a main focus of the event this year, firmly cementing the medium of exchange idea in the mental models that Bitcoiners use to think about the asset and the network.

I get the feeling that there may be one or two countries joining El Salvador in making Bitcoin legal tender. I'm not holding my breath though.

I'm not sure but I expect to be surprised. I wasn't expecting the El Salvador announcement last year.