When is Anime Day 2026
Anime Day 2026
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
When is Anime Day 2027
Anime Day 2027
Thursday, April 15, 2027
Why we celebrate Anime Day?
Anime Day is celebrated every year on 15 April. The holiday is dedicated to Japanese animation. The genre is characterised by big-eyed characters, fast-moving shots and colourful backgrounds.
A love of Japanese animation brings people of all ages and nationalities together. The annual festival is an opportunity for fans to meet, discuss their favourite films and find out more about the history of anime. Japan’s oldest surviving animated film is Moving Pictures, made in 1907. Osamu Tezuka was a major contributor to the anime canon. It was he who came up with the idea of rewarding the characters in his pictures with big eyes. Subsequently, this feature began to borrow other authors.
Holiday was established as a holiday in 1975 at the first Comiket. Since then it has been celebrated annually in Japan and then around the world.
What Do People Do?
On Anime Day, there are various themed events. While the first Comiket attracted only 700 people, today’s big-name festivals around the world attract over 100,000 participants. People dress up as their favourite characters or representatives of Japanese subcultures, hold photo shoots and cosplay contests.
How to Celebrate?
It’s not a day off, but anime fans in all countries look forward to celebrating April 15th. You can spend the day in the company of like-minded people watching your favourite Japanese series or film. Fans also have a themed gift exchange or a Japanese-style dinner with Asian sweets, ramen and Japanese drinks.
A few interesting facts about the holiday and anime:
- About 50 new anime are released every year, so April 15 is a great day to start watching new anime.
- Outside of Japan, anime fans are called otaku.
- Many of the series are not standalone products. A manga (comic book) is written first, and only then an anime is created from it.
- The first anime to hit the West was Astro Boy. Its author was genius animation industry reformer Osamu Tezuka.
- The touching trilogy The Adventures of Little Penguin Lolo is a product of the work of Soviet and Japanese animators.
Anime Day Observances
List of dates for other years
| Weekday | Date | Year | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | 15 April | 2023 | Anime Day |
| Monday | 15 April | 2024 | Anime Day |
| Tuesday | 15 April | 2025 | Anime Day |
| Wednesday | 15 April | 2026 | Anime Day |
| Thursday | 15 April | 2027 | Anime Day |
| Saturday | 15 April | 2028 | Anime Day |
| Sunday | 15 April | 2029 | Anime Day |
| Monday | 15 April | 2030 | Anime Day |
| Tuesday | 15 April | 2031 | Anime Day |
| Thursday | 15 April | 2032 | Anime Day |
| Friday | 15 April | 2033 | Anime Day |
| Saturday | 15 April | 2034 | Anime Day |
| Sunday | 15 April | 2035 | Anime Day |
| Tuesday | 15 April | 2036 | Anime Day |
Anime Day Video
Anime Day Cards
List of Common Holidays in 2026
| Date | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|
| January 2026 | ||
| Jan 1 - Tues | New Year's Day 2026 | National holiday |
| Jan 6 - Sun | Epiphany 2026 | Christian |
| Jan 7 - Mon | Orthodox Christmas Day 2026 | Orthodox Christian |
| Jan 14 - Mon | Orthodox New Year 2026 | Orthodox Christian |
| Jan 15 - Tues | Makar Sankranti 2026 | Hindu |
| Jan 21 - Mon | Tu B'Shevat 2026 | Jewish |
| Jan 21 - Mon | Martin Luther King Day 2026 | National holiday |
| February 2026 | ||
| Feb 1 - Fri | National Freedom Day 2026 | Observance |
| Feb 1 - Fri | National Wear Red Day 2026 | Observance |
| Feb 2 - Sat | Groundhog Day 2026 | Observance |
| Feb 5 - Tues | Chinese New Year 2026 | Observance |
| Feb 12 - Tues | Lincoln's Birthday 2026 | Observance |
| Feb 14 - Thurs | Valentine's Day 2026 | Observance |
| Feb 18 - Mon | Presidents' Day - Washington's Birthday 2026 | National holiday |
| March 2026 | ||
| Mar 1 - Fri | Read Across America Day 2026 | Observance |
| Mar 1 - Fri | Employee Appreciation Day 2026 | Observance |
| Mar 5 - Tues | Maha Shivaratri 2026 | Hindu |
| Mar 5 - Tues | Mardi Gras 2026 | Christian |
| Mar 6 - Wed | Lent 2019 | Christian |
| Mar 6 - Wed | Ash Wednesday 2026 | Christian |
| Mar 10 - Sun | Daylight Saving Time - begins 2026 | Daylight Saving |
| Mar 17 - Sun | St. Patrick's Day 2026 | Observance |
| Mar 20 - Wed | Spring/Fall - March equinox 2026 | Season |
| Mar 21 - Thur | Purim 2026 | Jewish |
| Mar 21 - Thurs | Holi 2026 | Hindu |
| April 2026 | ||
| Apr 1 - Mon | April Fools' Day 2026 | Observance |
| Apr 3 - Wed | Isra and Mi'raj 2026 | Muslim |
| Apr 13 - Sat | Thomas Jefferson Birthday 2026 | Observance |
| Apr 14 - Sun | Rama Navami 2026 | Hindu |
| Apr 14 -Sun | Palm Sunday 2026 | Christian |
| Apr 15 - Mon | Tax Day 2026 | Observance |
| Apr 16 - Tues | National Library Workers Day 2026 | Observance |
| Apr 18 - Thurs | Maundy Thursday 2026 | Christian |
| Apr 19 - Fri | Good Friday 2026 | Christian |
| Apr 20 - Sat | Holy Saturday 2026 | Christian |
| Apr 20 - Sat | Passover - Starts 2026 | Jewish |
| Apr 21 - Sun | Laylat al Bara'at 2026 | Muslim |
| Apr 21 - Sun | Easter 2026 | Christian |
| Apr 21 - Sun | Earth Day 2026 | Observance |
| Apr 22 - Mon | Easter Monday 2026 | Christian |
| Apr 24 - Wed | Administrative Professionals Day 2026 | Observance |
| Apr 25 - Thurs | Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day 2026 | Observance |
| Apr 26 - Fri | Orthodox Good Friday 2026 | Orthodox Christian |
| Apr 26 - Fri | Arbor Day 2026 | Observance |
| Apr 27 - Sat | Passover - Final Day 2026 | Jewish |
| Apr 28 - Sun | Orthodox Easter 2026 | Orthodox Christian |
| May 2026 | ||
| May 1 - Wed | May Day 2026 | Observance |
| May 2 - Thur | Yom Hashoah 2026 | Jewish |
| May 2 - Thurs | National Day of Prayer 2026 | Observance |
| May 5 - Sun | Cinco de Mayo 2026 | Observance |
| May 6 - Mon | National Nurses Day 2026 | Observance |
| May 6 - Mon | Ramadan starts 2026 | Muslim |
| May 12 - Sun | Mothers' Day 2026 | Observance |
| May 15 - Wed | Peace Officers Memorial Day 2026 | Observance |
| May 18 - Sat | Armed Forces Day 2026 | Observance |
| May 22 - Wed | National Maritime Day 2026 | Observance |
| May 23 - Thurs | Lag BaOmer 2026 | Jewish |
| May 27 - Mon | Memorial Day 2026 | National holiday |
| May 30 - Thurs | Ascension Day 2026 | Christian |
| Jun 1 - Sat | Laylat al Qadr 2026 | Muslim |
| June 2026 | ||
| Jun 1 - Sat | Laylat al Qadr 2026 | Muslim |
| Jun 5 - Wed | Eid al-Fitr 2026 | Muslim |
| Jun 6 - Thurs | D-Day 2026 | Observance |
| Jun 9 - Sun | Shavuot 2026 | Jewish |
| Jun 9 - Sun | Pentecost 2026 | Christian |
| Jun 10 - Mon | Whit Monday 2026 | Christian |
| Jun 14 - Fri | Flag Day 2026 | Observance |
| Jun 16 - Sun | Fathers' Day 2026 | Observance |
| Jun 20 - Thurs | Corpus Christi 2026 | Christian |
| Jun 21 - Fri | Summer/Winter Solstice 2026 | Season |
| July 2026 | ||
| Jul 4 - Thurs | Rath Yatra 2026 | Hindu |
| Jul 4 - Thurs | 4th of July - Independence Day 2026 | National holiday |
| Jul 28 - Sun | Parents Day 2026 | Observance |
| August 2026 | ||
| Aug 4 - Sun | Friendship Day 2026 | Observance |
| Aug 11 - Sun | Day of Arafat 2026 | Muslim |
| Aug 11 - Sun | Tisha B'Av 2026 | Jewish |
| Aug 11 - Sun | Eid al-Adha 2026 | Muslim |
| Aug 14 - Wed | Raksha Bandhan 2026 | Hindu |
| Aug 15 - Thurs | Assumption of Mary 2026 | Christian |
| Aug 19 - Mon | National Aviation Day 2026 | Observance |
| Aug 21 - Wed | Senior Citizens Day 2026 | Observance |
| Aug 23 - Fri | Krishna Janmashtami 2026 | Hindu |
| Aug 26 - Mon | Women's Equality Day 2026 | Observance |
| Aug 31 - Sat | Muharram 2026 | Muslim |
| September 2026 | ||
| Sept 2 - Mon | Ganesh Chaturthi 2026 | Hindu |
| Sep 2 - Mon | Labor Day 2026 | National holiday |
| Sep 8 - Sun | National Grandparents Day 2026 | Observance |
| Sep 10 - Tues | Ashura 2026 | Muslim |
| Sep 11 - Wed | Patriot Day 2026 | Observance |
| Sep 17 - Tues | Constitution Citizenship Day 2026 | Observance |
| Sep 23 - Mon | Fall/ Spring - September equinox 2026 | Season |
| Sept 29 - Sun | Navratri 2026 | Hindu |
| Sept 30 - Mon | Rosh Hashana 2026 | Jewish |
| October 2026 | ||
| Oct 7 - Mon | Child Health Day 2026 | Observance |
| Oct 7 - Mon | Dussehra 2026 | Hindu |
| Oct 9 - Wed | Leif Erikson 2026 | Observance |
| Oct 9 - Wed | Yom Kippur 2026 | Jewish |
| Oct 14 - Mon | Sukkot 2026 | Jewish |
| Oct 14 - Mon | Columbus Day 2026 | National holiday |
| Oct 16 - Wed | Boss's Day 2026 | Observance |
| Oct 21 - Mon | Shemini Atzeret 2026 | Jewish |
| Oct 22 - Tues | Simchat Torah 2026 | Jewish |
| Oct 27 - Sun | Diwali 2026 | Hindu |
| Oct 31 - Thurs | Halloween 2026 | Observance |
| November 2026 | ||
| Nov 1 - Fri | All Saints' Day 2026 | Christian |
| Nov 2 - Fri | All Souls Day 2026 | Christian |
| Nov 3 - Sun | Daylight Saving Time - ends 2026 | Daylight Saving |
| Nov 10 - Sun | The Prophet's Birthday 2026 | Muslim |
| Nov 11 - Mon | Veterans Day 2026 | National holiday |
| Nov 28 - Thurs | Thanksgiving Day 2026 | National holiday |
| Nov 29 - Fri | Black Friday 2026 | Observance |
| December 2026 | ||
| Dec 2 - Mon | Cyber Monday 2026 | Observance |
| Dec 1 - Sun | Advent 2026 | Christian |
| Dec 6 - Fri | St Nicholas Day 2026 | Christian |
| Dec 7 - Sat | Pearl Harbor Remebrance Day 2026 | Observance |
| Dec 17 - Tues | Wright Brothers Day 2026 | Observance |
| Dec 22 - Sun | Winter/Summer Solstice 2026 | Season |
| Dec 23 - Mon | Hanukkah/Chanukah - Starts 2026 | Jewish |
| Dec 24 - Tues | Christmas Eve 2026 | Christian |
| Dec 25 - Wed | Christmas Day 2026 | National holiday |
| Dec 26 - Thurs | Kwanzaa -thru Jan 1 2026 | Observance |
| Dec 30 - Mon | Hanukkah/Chanukah - Final Day 2026 | Jewish |
| Dec 31 - Tues | New Years Eve 2026 | Observance |
