Published 1 January 2025 · 4 min read

Full Moon Dates 2026 — Complete Lunar Calendar

If you're the sort of person who plans ahead — whether that's booking photography trips, scheduling outdoor events, or just working out when to plant your carrots — here's your complete lunar calendar for 2026. We've got every full moon and new moon date, plus the notable events that make 2026's lunar calendar a particularly interesting one.

Full moon dates 2026

Here's something fun — 2026 gives us 13 full moons instead of the usual 12, with two in May. The second one (31st May) is what's known as a Blue Moon. It doesn't actually look blue, but it's a fairly rare event that only happens every two to three years.

Month	Full Moon Date	Traditional Name
January	3 January	Wolf Moon
February	1 February	Snow Moon
March	3 March	Worm Moon
April	1 April	Pink Moon
May	1 May	Flower Moon
May	31 May	Blue Moon
June	29 June	Strawberry Moon
July	29 July	Buck Moon
August	28 August	Sturgeon Moon
September	26 September	Harvest Moon
October	26 October	Hunter's Moon
November	24 November	Beaver Moon
December	24 December	Cold Moon

New moon dates 2026

Month	New Moon Date
January	18 January
February	17 February
March	19 March
April	17 April
May	16 May
June	15 June
July	14 July
August	12 August
September	11 September
October	10 October
November	9 November
December	9 December

What's a Blue Moon, then?

A Blue Moon is simply the second full moon in a single calendar month. Because the lunar cycle is 29.5 days and most months are 30 or 31 days, occasionally you get two full moons squeezed into one month. In 2026, May gets both — the 1st and the 31st. The Moon doesn't actually turn blue (wouldn't that be something), but the phrase "once in a blue moon" exists because it only happens every two to three years. So it's worth noting in the diary.

Traditional full moon names for 2026

These names have been passed down through centuries of observing the natural world, mostly from Native American and European traditions. They're wonderfully descriptive:

• Wolf Moon (January) — wolves howling through the bitter cold of midwinter. Sets the scene nicely for the year.
• Snow Moon (February) — February tends to dump the heaviest snow of the year across the Northern Hemisphere.
• Worm Moon (March) — the ground's thawing, earthworms are emerging, and robins are turning up. Spring's on its way.
• Pink Moon (April) — named after phlox, one of the first pink wildflowers to bloom. The moon itself stays its usual colour, unfortunately.
• Flower Moon (May) — gardens and wildflower meadows are in full bloom by now. Lovely.
• Blue Moon (May) — the second full moon of May, landing on the 31st. Rare and worth staying up for.
• Strawberry Moon (June) — peak strawberry-picking season. Take advantage if you've got a PYO farm nearby.
• Buck Moon (July) — male deer are growing new antlers, covered in soft velvety fur.
• Sturgeon Moon (August) — named for the large freshwater sturgeon traditionally caught in abundance during late summer.
• Harvest Moon (September) — the classic. The full moon nearest the autumn equinox gave farmers extra evening light to bring in their crops. Genuinely practical, not just a nice name.
• Hunter's Moon (October) — fields cleared after the harvest meant hunters could spot animals more easily as they fattened up for winter.
• Beaver Moon (November) — time to set beaver traps before the waterways froze solid.
• Cold Moon (December) — falling on Christmas Eve in 2026, which makes it extra special. The longest nights of the year paired with a full moon on the 24th December — that's quite something.

Notable lunar events in 2026

Total lunar eclipse — 3rd March

This is the big one for 2026. A total lunar eclipse happens when Earth passes directly between the Sun and Moon, casting its shadow across the lunar surface. The Moon takes on a deep reddish hue — often called a Blood Moon — because Earth's atmosphere bends and filters sunlight so that only the red wavelengths reach the Moon. It's genuinely eerie and beautiful to watch.

The March 2026 eclipse will be visible from Europe, Africa, and the Americas — so we'll be able to see it from the UK, which doesn't happen every time. Mark the date. You don't need any special equipment; just find somewhere with a clear view of the sky and dress warmly.

Partial lunar eclipse — 28th August

Later in the year, a partial eclipse will be visible from parts of Asia, Australia, and the Pacific. During a partial eclipse, only part of the Moon passes through Earth's shadow, creating a distinctive dark bite out of the disc. It's not as dramatic as a total eclipse, but it's still worth watching if you're in the right part of the world.

Christmas Eve full moon — 24th December

A full Cold Moon on Christmas Eve. If you get clear skies, this'll be genuinely magical — a bright full moon rising on a winter evening with festive lights in the foreground. Photographers, get your locations scouted in advance.

Why bother tracking moon phases?

More people track the lunar cycle than you'd expect, and for good practical reasons:

Tides: The Moon's gravity drives our tides. Full and new moons create spring tides (the biggest tidal swings), while quarter moons give you neap tides (more moderate). If you're a coastal walker, sailor, surfer, or angler, knowing the moon phase helps you plan safely and effectively.

Fishing: Plenty of anglers swear by lunar calendars. Full and new moons tend to produce more active fish, partly because of the stronger tidal movements they create. It's not an exact science, but experienced fishers take it seriously.

Photography: Full moons are the obvious subject, but the new moon period offers the darkest skies for astrophotography. If you want to photograph the Milky Way, you need a new moon. If you want a dramatic moonlit landscape, you need a full one.

Gardening: Lunar planting calendars suggest sowing above-ground crops during the waxing moon and root crops during the waning moon. Whether it makes a measurable difference is up for debate, but it's a tradition with deep roots (pun intended) and plenty of dedicated followers.

Stargazing: For amateur astronomers, the new moon is your best friend. Without moonlight washing out the sky, galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters become much easier to spot through a telescope. The full moon is the worst time for deep-sky viewing but the best time for studying the Moon itself — craters, mountains, and dark plains are all beautifully lit up.

Photography tips for 2026's highlights

The Christmas Eve Cold Moon on 24th December is going to be special. A full moon rising on a winter evening, with festive lights and possibly frost or snow — the compositions practically make themselves. Use a telephoto lens for Moon detail, or go wide-angle to place it in a landscape or cityscape context.

The Blue Moon on 31st May is another one to plan for. While it won't look any different from a regular full moon, the rarity makes it noteworthy. Position yourself with an interesting foreground — a lake, a coastline, a historic building — and capture the moonrise during the golden hour for the best results. Planning apps that show you exactly where the Moon will rise are well worth downloading.

For the total lunar eclipse on 3rd March, you'll want to be somewhere with a clear eastern horizon and minimal light pollution. The reddish Blood Moon is striking in photos, but it's much dimmer than a normal full moon, so you'll need to bump up your ISO and use a slower shutter speed than you would for a standard moonshot.

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