Full Moon Calendar 2026: Every Date, Name, and Meaning (13 Full Moons)

The short answer: 2026 has 13 full moons instead of the usual 12, thanks to a Blue Moon on May 31. The year also includes a total lunar eclipse in March, a partial lunar eclipse in August, and a supermoon to close the year in December. All dates below are US Eastern Time; in Asia and Oceania some full moons land a calendar day later.

Bookmark this page, and check the exact phase for any date, past or future, with our moon phase calculator.

Full moon dates 2026

Date (ET)	Traditional name	Notes
January 3	Wolf Moon	First full moon of the year
February 1	Snow Moon
March 3	Worm Moon	Total lunar eclipse
April 1 to 2	Pink Moon	Date varies by time zone
May 1	Flower Moon	First of two May full moons
May 31	Blue Moon	Second full moon of May
June 29	Strawberry Moon	Micromoon
July 29	Buck Moon
August 28	Sturgeon Moon	Partial lunar eclipse Aug 27 to 28
September 26	Harvest Moon	Closest full moon to the equinox
October 26	Hunter’s Moon
November 24	Beaver Moon
December 23	Cold Moon	Supermoon

The exact instant of full moon is the same worldwide; only your local clock and calendar date change. The moon also looks essentially full the night before and after, so you have a three night window every month.

Where do full moon names come from?

The names in the table trace mostly to Algonquian-speaking peoples of northeastern North America, later adopted by colonial settlers and popularized by almanacs. Each name tags the month’s full moon to a seasonal event: wolves howling in the January cold, snow in February, earthworms surfacing in March, pink phlox blooming in April, and so on through the harvest and hunting moons of autumn to the Cold Moon of December.

They are cultural calendars, not descriptions of the moon’s appearance. The Pink Moon will not be pink.

The special moons of 2026

The March 3 total lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse happens when Earth’s shadow crosses the full moon, often staining it copper red. Astrologically, eclipses are treated as accelerators: endings and revelations arrive faster than usual. Traditional practice actually pauses ritual work during eclipses and simply observes.

The May 31 Blue Moon. A Blue Moon by the popular definition is the second full moon in one calendar month. They arrive roughly every two and a half years, hence once in a blue moon. Astrologically it is read as a bonus culmination, a rare second chance at whatever May’s first full moon illuminated.

The December 23 supermoon. A supermoon is a full moon near perigee, the moon’s closest approach to Earth, which makes it look modestly larger and noticeably brighter. Ending the year on one is read as an amplified Cold Moon: bigger feelings, bigger clarity, right at the year’s turn.

What a full moon means astrologically

The full moon is the culmination point of the 29.5 day lunar cycle: the Sun and Moon sit opposite each other, and whatever was seeded at the new moon reaches maximum visibility. Practitioners work with three themes:

1. Illumination. Situations reveal themselves. Feelings that were building surface. The full moon is famously bad at keeping secrets.
2. Culmination. Projects and relationship arcs reach a peak or a turning point. It is a natural moment to assess what the last two weeks produced.
3. Release. With the peak passed, the waning half of the cycle begins. Full moon ritual traditions are overwhelmingly about letting go, and we cover the simplest ones in our full moon rituals guide.

One more layer for chart owners: each full moon happens in a specific zodiac sign, and when one lands in your Moon sign or Sun sign, its effects are traditionally amplified for you. Find your placements with the birth chart calculator and check your sign’s forecast in our monthly horoscope.

How to use this calendar

The practical rhythm is simple and takes five minutes a month. At the new moon, set one intention. At the full moon, review it honestly, celebrate what grew, and write down one thing to release. Repeat thirteen times in 2026. People who actually do this for a year are consistently surprised by how much a monthly review changes, regardless of what they believe about the moon itself.