August is one of the most lively and event-packed months in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, bringing unique seasonal fun to both Northern and Southern Hemisphere islands. While Northern Hemisphere players enjoy the final thrills of summer and Southern Hemisphere players prepare for the arrival of spring, the most iconic highlight of August is undoubtedly the weekly Fireworks Show. This limited-time summer event lights up island skies with colorful explosions, festive music, and exclusive collectible items that players can only obtain in August. Updated for the 2026 in-game season and optimized based on the game’s 2.0 version rules, this full guide covers ACNH Fireworks Show 2026 dates, complete prize lists, core activities, custom fireworks designs, exclusive festival clothing, and extra tips to help you fully experience every part of the event.
ACNH Fireworks Show 2026 Dates & Time
The ACNH Fireworks Show is a traditional summer festival inspired by real-life Japanese summer hanabi taikai (firework festivals) held from late July to August. First added to the game in the 1.4.0 Summer Update Wave 2 and fully optimized in the 2.0 version update, this annual event runs on every Sunday in August for five consecutive weekends each year. It is important to note that the event time and schedule are identical for both Northern and Southern Hemisphere islands, regardless of their current seasonal weather.
For 2026, the official Animal Crossing Fireworks Show dates are fixed as follows:
August 2, 2026
August 9, 2026
August 16, 2026
August 23, 2026
August 30, 2026
Each Fireworks Show starts at 7:00 PM local island time and ends sharply at midnight. Players do not need to log in exactly at 7 PM to join the fun, but all festival activities, including Redd’s raffle and custom firework submissions, will close once midnight arrives. On every firework festival day, the island weather is permanently clear, and exclusive festive background music will play throughout the event period. Besides the weekly August shows, small fireworks also appear at the New Year’s Countdown event on January 1 every year as a supplementary celebration.
Core Activities to Do During ACNH Fireworks Show 2026
The Animal Crossing Fireworks Show is more than just a visual sky display. It features multiple interactive gameplay mechanics with villagers and classic NPCs, offering free rewards, random raffle prizes, and personalized customization content. Below is a detailed breakdown of all must-do activities during the 2026 event.
1. Watch Festive Fireworks & Interact with Villagers
Throughout the event hours, colorful fireworks will continuously launch and explode across your island’s sky, casting soft glowing light on the ground and indoor areas of island buildings. All your island villagers will gather around the Resident Services plaza to watch the show. They will clap, sing, and react happily to the exploding fireworks. Occasionally, villagers will approach players actively and give out free firework-themed small gifts such as sparklers. You can enjoy the show with your island residents or invite online friends to your island for a shared festival experience. Notably, you can view the fireworks from any open area on your island with a clear sky view, not just the central plaza.
2. Collect Free Bopper Hats from Isabelle
On all Fireworks Show days, Isabelle will stand outside Resident Services all day long to host the festival. During this period, the Civic Consultation Counter inside Resident Services will be temporarily unavailable. Players can talk to Isabelle at any time during the event to receive a free random glowing bopper hat, the exclusive headwear for the firework festival.
There are four unique bopper hat designs in total, all glowing brightly at night and perfect for festival photoshoots:
Bulb Bopper
Heart Bopper
Flower Bopper
Star Bopper
Each bopper hat can be sold to Timmy and Tommy for 245 AC Bells. Since there are five firework show dates in 2026, players can easily collect all four styles by checking in weekly. Additionally, you can visit friends’ active firework islands and talk to their Isabelle to obtain extra bopper hats in one day.
3. Play Redd’s Raffle for Exclusive Festival Prizes
Jolly Redd, the classic art dealer NPC, will set up a special raffle booth in the Resident Services plaza during every Fireworks Show. This is the core gameplay of the event, offering 24 exclusive limited-time prizes that cannot be obtained in daily gameplay. To join the raffle, players can purchase a raffle ticket for 500 Bells per drawwith no purchase limit. You can repeatedly buy tickets through the quick dialogue option at Redd’s booth.
The raffle follows a fixed rule: players will obtain every prize at least once before duplicate rewards start appearing. After collecting all 24 items, all subsequent draws will give completely random duplicate prizes. Some raffle items can also be gifted randomly by your island villagers during the festival.
ACNH Fireworks 2026 Items & Prize List (With Uses & Sell Price)
All 24 prizes from Redd’s 2026 firework raffle are listed below, including item types, usage limits, and resell values. Prizes cover handheld toys, decorative balloons, frozen treats, cotton candy, and boba drinks, with different durability and gameplay effects.
Raffle Number | Prize Name | Usage Feature | Sell Price (Bells) |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Red Sparkler | 1-time use consumable | 150 |
2 | Blue Sparkler | 1-time use consumable | 150 |
3 | Fountain Firework | 1-time use consumable; turns into used version after use (disposable in trash bins) | 150 |
4 | Bubble Blower (×5) | 1-time use stackable item | 37 |
5 | Uchiwa Fan | Reusable handheld decorative item | 200 |
6 | Pinwheel | Reusable handheld decorative item | 200 |
7 | Tweeter | Reusable handheld decorative item | 200 |
8 | Blue Balloon | Holdable/furniture item; flies away if player trips while running | 150 |
9 | Red Balloon | Holdable/furniture item; flies away if player trips while running | 150 |
10 | Yellow Balloon | Holdable/furniture item; flies away if player trips while running | 150 |
11 | Green Balloon | Holdable/furniture item; flies away if player trips while running | 150 |
12 | Pink Balloon | Holdable/furniture item; flies away if player trips while running | 150 |
13 | Ramune-soda Frozen Treat | 3-time use food; restores player stamina | 150 |
14 | Orange Frozen Treat | 3-time use food; restores player stamina | 150 |
15 | Chocolate Frozen Treat | 3-time use food; restores player stamina | 150 |
16 | Plain Cotton Candy | 3-time use food; restores player stamina | 150 |
17 | Melon Cotton Candy | 3-time use food; restores player stamina | 150 |
18 | Ramune-soda Cotton Candy | 3-time use food; restores player stamina | 150 |
19 | Strawberry Cotton Candy | 3-time use food; restores player stamina | 150 |
20 | Boba Milk Tea | 3-time use drink; restores player stamina | 150 |
21 | Boba Coffee | 3-time use drink; restores player stamina | 150 |
22 | Boba Strawberry Tea | 3-time use drink; restores player stamina | 150 |
23 | Boba Mango Tea | 3-time use drink; restores player stamina | 150 |
24 | Boba Green Tea | 3-time use drink; restores player stamina | 150 |
All sparklers, fountain fireworks, and bubble blowers are single-use items that disappear after one use. All festival food and drink items support three uses and can replenish your character’s stamina just like regular island fruits. Balloons are dual-purpose items that can be held in hand or placed as indoor/outdoor furniture, but they will float away permanently if you trip while running.
Exclusive Fireworks Show Clothing at Able Sisters (2026)
On every Fireworks Show day in August 2026, the Able Sisters shop will sell exclusive Japanese festival-style clothing and accessories that match the hanabi taikai theme. These outfits are traditional costumes for Japanese summer firework festivals and are only available during the event period. The full list of wearable items and their color variations is as follows:
1. Casual Kimono
Available colors: Green, Aqua, Dark Blue, Mustard
2. Kabuki-Actor Yukata
Available colors: Gray, Dark Blue, Fuchsia
3. Morning-Glory Yukata
Available colors: White, Aqua, Pale Green, Dark Blue
4. Zori (Traditional Sandals)
Available colors: Aqua, White, Black, Pink, Light Pink, Red, Gold, Green
All these clothing items and sandals are permanent collectibles once purchased, allowing you to wear them for festival photoshoots or daily island styling long after the firework event ends.
ACNH Fireworks Show 2026 Custom Fireworks Designs Guide
One of the most unique features of the ACNH Fireworks Show is the ability to customize your own firework patterns, letting you personalize your island’s night sky display. This custom design function is fully available throughout the 2026 event, with simple and flexible operation rules.
How to Submit Custom Firework Designs
You can activate the custom firework setting by talking to Isabelle outside Resident Services any time before or during the firework show (7 PM to midnight). Choose the dialogue option “I’ve got a firework idea!” to open the custom design panel. You can select up to 10 different custom patterns saved on your NookPhone at one time. You can also freely adjust the launch order of each design by rearranging the slot positions.
There is no fixed deadline for modifications. You can swap out old designs for new ones or reset the launch order multiple times throughout the entire event period. Custom fireworks will be randomly interspersed with the game’s default fireworks during the show, so you may need to wait a short while to see your personalized patterns light up the sky.
Design Tips for Better Firework Effects
To get the most stunning in-game visual effect, it is recommended to create circular patternsor make full use of transparent pixel settings when designing. Simple, high-contrast designs stand out more against the dark night sky, while overly complex details may become blurry after the fireworks explode in the air. You can also search for popular community custom design codes online to quickly apply creative firework patterns made by other players.
