The final Fortnite event of the year will take place very soon. Epic Games will have a New Year’s celebration in the game, which is something that has been done every year so far. The game developer will release a small event, marking the conclusion of the year and ushering us into 2026.
This article will reveal everything you need to know about the New Year’s event in Fortnite. We’ll take a look at its start date and time, how you can watch it, and whether you’ll get any rewards by attending it.
When will the New Year’s event start in Fortnite?
The celebration of 2026 will begin on Wednesday, December 31. This will not be a one-time event, which means that you’ll be able to watch it several times throughout the day. In other words, the event will take place at the end of every hour.
The exact start time is currently unknown, but there’s a good chance that the first event will happen at 6 AM Eastern Time, since this is when the majority of New Zealand will enter 2026. Considering that Fortnite has many players from Oceania, having the first event at this time would make a lot of sense.
The first country to enter 2026 is Kiribati. Some of its islands will enter the new year 15 minutes before Chatham Island, and an hour before the mainland of New Zealand. However, these islands don’t have a significant population, so it is unlikely that the Fortnite event will go live at that time.
To watch the New Year’s event in Fortnite, enter a match five minutes before each new hour, such as 1:55, 2:55, and so on. This gives you enough time to find a match, get into the battle bus, and land on the island. If you are lucky, you will be able to witness the event while gliding in the air, which is arguably the best way to watch it.
You can watch the event in Battle Royale or Zero Build modes, regardless of the playlist. If you like, you can go into the match alone, but you can also bring a couple of your friends to celebrate the new year together.
At the moment, there are no leaked rewards for attending the New Year’s event in Fortnite. While this may change over the next few days, it’s very unlikely, since Epic Games generally does not give away rewards for attending such events.
While waiting for the new event, make sure to open all Winterfest presents and unlock free skins in Fortnite. You can also earn an XP boost in the Winterfest cabin, and the best way to use it is by entering one of the best Fortnite XP maps.
