September is arguably one of the most content-packed months in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. From major aesthetic changes across your island to fresh seasonal materials, brand-new critters, and even a special character appearing on Harv's Island, there's plenty to keep you busy. This guide walks you through everything happening during the September 2026 update so you can plan ahead and get the most out of your island life.
ACNH September 2026 Updates (Events, DIYs, Critters, Birthdays)
September marks the beginning of fall in the Northern Hemisphere and the start of spring in the Southern Hemisphere. Players in the north will see grass turn a lighter green, watch acorns and pine cones drop from trees, and prepare for the final Bug-Off of the year. Meanwhile, southern players get to enjoy young spring bamboo and a fresh wave of blooming plants. Nook Shopping also refreshes with iconic seasonal items like the grape backpack, moon-viewing furniture, and Chuseok-themed rice cakes.
With so much packed into a single month, let's start with the events and seasonal items in ACNH you can grab this September.
ACNH September Events & Seasonal Items
September brings a mix of worldwide festivals, one major in-game tournament, and a returning special guest on Harv's Island. Below is every event you can take part in across both hemispheres.
Grape Harvest Festival (All Month)
The Grape Harvest Festival runs the entire month of September and celebrates the annual grape-picking season observed in many parts of Europe. It's a low-key event with no in-game visit from a special character, but it does refresh the Nook Shopping app with grape-themed goodies. The iconic grape backpack has been available for a few years now, but if you missed previous years, September 2026 gives you another shot at grabbing this stylish accessory.
Items To Get:
Grape harvest basket
Grape backpack (wearable)
How To Get the Items:
Open the Nook Shopping app on your NookPhone, tap Special Goods, and scroll to the seasonal category. Both items can be ordered any day during September and will arrive in your mailbox the next day.
Moon-Viewing Event (September 12 - 21)
The Moon-Viewing Event honors the traditional East Asian mid-autumn moon festival (known as Tsukimi in Japan and the Mid-Autumn Festival in China). During this ten-day window, Nook Shopping stocks a set of themed furniture and edible food items perfect for hosting your own moon-gazing gathering. Since the 2.0 update, dango and moon cakes work as edible food items rather than simple display pieces, which adds an interactive twist.
Items To Get:
Moon rug
Dango (edible)
Moon cakes (edible)
How To Get the Items:
Head to the Nook Shopping app, select Special Goods, and look under the seasonal category between September 12 and 21. Order each item, wait for delivery the following day, and set up a moon-viewing display on your island using the rug and food items as centerpieces.
Chuseok (September 12 - 21)
Chuseok is the Korean harvest festival, added to Animal Crossing: New Horizons back in the 1.11 update. Running alongside the Moon-Viewing Event, it introduces a traditional Korean rice cake to Nook Shopping. Like the moon cakes, songpyeon became an edible food item after the 2.0 update, so you can actually eat it in-game for a stamina boost when digging or chopping trees.
Items To Get:
Songpyeon (edible Korean rice cake)
How To Get the Items:
Open the Nook Shopping app, tap Special Goods, and find songpyeon under the seasonal section between September 12 and 21. Place your order and check your mailbox the next day.
Bug-Off (September 24 - Northern Hemisphere)
The Bug-Off returns on Sunday, September 24 for northern players, marking the fourth and final competition of the year. Flick sets up shop at the plaza from 9 AM to 6 PM, challenging you to catch as many bugs as possible in three-minute rounds. Points earned this month combine with any leftover points from previous Bug-Offs, so if you've been saving up, this is the time to cash them in for exclusive prizes before Flick disappears until June.
Items To Get:
Artisanal bug cage
Tree's bounty (bug themed trophy items)
Bug aloha shirts
Ladybug umbrella
Butterflies umbrella
Bronze, silver, and gold trophies (based on high scores)
How To Get the Items:
Talk to Flick at the plaza on September 24, pay 500 Bells to enter, and catch as many bugs as you can in three minutes. Trade points with Flick immediately after each round for prizes. Score 100 points or more in a single round to earn trophies.
Corn on Harv's Island (Starts September)
A special character named Corn appears on Harv's Island starting in September, and he's actually a returning face for longtime players - Corn is Tortimer wearing a special outfit that references Animal Crossing: Wild World. Added with the 2.0 update, he's one of the most charming Easter eggs in the entire game. Visit him daily to receive a small handful of free acorns without having to shake a single tree.
Items To Get:
Free acorns (daily)
How To Get the Items:
Fly to Harv's Island via the airport, walk over to Photopia, and look for Corn near the plaza area. Talk to him once per day throughout September to collect your acorn stash.
Virgo & Libra Zodiac Seasons
Two zodiac windows overlap in September. Virgo season runs from August 23 to September 22, and Libra season begins September 23 and continues through October 22. Wishing on shooting stars during meteor showers earns you zodiac-specific fragments that can be crafted into unique furniture pieces once you get the recipe from Celeste.
Items To Get:
Virgo fragments (through September 22)
Virgo harp DIY recipe
Libra fragments (starting September 23)
Libra scale DIY recipe
How To Get the Items:
Wait for a starry night, then press A with empty hands to wish on shooting stars. The next morning, walk your beach to pick up zodiac fragments. Talk to Celeste when she visits your island to receive the DIY recipes for that season's zodiac furniture.
ACNH September Critters: Bugs, Fish & Sea Creatures
September is a huge shift month for critters. In the Northern Hemisphere, summer creatures are leaving in droves, while a smaller batch of fall arrivals begin showing up. The Southern Hemisphere sees the opposite, with early spring critters replacing winter fauna.
Spetember Bugs
Bugs Arriving
Northern Hemisphere: Common butterfly, yellow butterfly, monarch butterfly, cricket, bell cricket, red dragonfly, violin beetle, pill bug, and centipede.
Southern Hemisphere: Yellow butterfly, tiger butterfly, peacock butterfly, mantis, orchid mantis, honeybee, stinkbug, man-faced stink bug, and ladybug.
Bugs Leaving
Northern Hemisphere: Tiger butterfly, emperor butterfly, agrias butterfly, Rajah Brooke's birdwing, Queen Alexandra's birdwing, Atlas moth, Madagascan sunset moth, grasshopper, walker cicada, pondskater, diving beetle, giant water bug, Rosalia batesi beetle, earth-boring dung beetle, Goliath beetle, rainbow stag, walking leaf, and mosquito.
Southern Hemisphere: Just the emperor butterfly.
Prioritize the rare exits like the Queen Alexandra's birdwing, rainbow stag, and walking leaf, as they sell for high prices and won't return for months.
September Fish
Fish Arriving
Northern Hemisphere: Pike, cherry salmon, char, golden trout, salmon, king salmon, mitten crab, and sturgeon.
Southern Hemisphere: Tadpole, loach, cherry salmon, char, golden trout, and barred knifejaw.
The golden trout is the star arrival — worth 15,000 Bells and only found in high-elevation cliffside rivers.
Fish Leaving
Northern Hemisphere: Crawfish, soft-shelled turtle, sweetfish, salmon, king salmon, nibble fish, piranha, arowana, dorado, gar, arapaima, saddled bichir, clownfish, surgeonfish, butterfly fish, pufferfish, blue marlin, ocean sunfish, saw shark, hammerhead shark, great white shark, whale shark, and suckerfish.
Southern Hemisphere: Bitterling, yellow perch, stringfish, sturgeon, sea butterfly, and football fish.
That's 23 fish leaving in the north, get the sharks, dorado, and arapaima donated to the museum before September ends.
September Sea Creatures
Sea Creatures Arriving
Northern Hemisphere: Oyster and sweet shrimp. Stock up on oysters because they're an ingredient for Franklin's Turkey Day meal in November.
Southern Hemisphere: Chambered nautilus, firefly squid, and spider crab.
Sea Creatures Leaving
Northern Hemisphere: Flatworm, gigas giant clam, horseshoe crab, moon jellyfish, sea grapes, sea urchin, slate pencil urchin, and tiger prawn.
Southern Hemisphere: No notable departures.
Now that you know what to chase, let's look at the seasonal DIYs you'll want to collect while crafting fall (or spring) décor.
ACNH September DIYs & Items To Craft
September introduces new seasonal crafting materials in both hemispheres. Shake trees, hit bamboo shoots, and check villager homes to build up your recipe collection.
Tree's Bounty (Acorns & Pine Cones - Northern Hemisphere, September 1-November 30)
The Tree's Bounty series is the flagship fall crafting set in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, running from September 1 through November 30 in the Northern Hemisphere. Once Isabelle announces the season change, trees begin dropping acorns and pine cones when shaken, giving you the materials needed for a cozy autumn-themed island. These items are widely considered some of the best-designed pieces in the game and pair beautifully with mushrooms and maple leaves later in fall.
DIYs To Get:
Tree's bounty lamp
Tree's bounty little tree
Tree's bounty mobile
Tree's bounty big tree
Tree's bounty arch
Pine bonsai tree
Cedar bonsai tree
Acorn pochette
How To Get the DIYs:
Shoot down balloon presents floating across your island using a slingshot — many will contain fall DIY recipes. Alternatively, visit your villagers' homes; if they're crafting at their workbench, they'll offer you the recipe for whatever they're making. This villager crafting feature was added in the 2.0 update.
Items To Craft:
Tree's bounty lamp (6 acorns, 6 pine cones, 5 clumps of weeds)
Tree's bounty little tree (10 pine cones, 8 hardwood)
Tree's bounty mobile (5 acorns, 5 pine cones, 4 tree branches)
Tree's bounty big tree (10 acorns, 10 pine cones, 10 hardwood)
Tree's bounty arch (10 acorns, 10 pine cones, 5 tree branches, 5 clumps of weeds)
Pine bonsai tree (6 pine cones, 4 hardwood, 1 clay)
Cedar bonsai tree (6 pine cones, 4 softwood, 1 clay)
Acorn pochette (5 acorns, 3 wood)
Mushroom Series (Northern Hemisphere, Late September onward)
While the full mushroom DIY set officially arrives in November, some early recipes may start dropping in late September as mushrooms begin sprouting near trees. This series uses mushrooms as its main material and creates a whimsical forest-inspired décor look that pairs perfectly with Tree's Bounty items.
DIYs To Get:
Mushroom wand
Mushroom lamp
Forest wall
Mushroom parasol
Round mushroom
How To Get the DIYs:
Shoot down balloon presents during the late-September mushroom window. Villagers crafting at their homes may also offer these recipes. The chances increase significantly once October arrives.
Items To Craft:
Mushroom wand (3 elegant mushrooms, 1 star fragment)
Mushroom lamp (1 flat mushroom, 1 round mushroom, 1 skinny mushroom, 3 clay)
Forest wall (2 elegant mushrooms, 8 wood, 8 softwood)
Mushroom parasol (3 round mushrooms)
Round mushroom (3 round mushrooms)
Bamboo Series (Southern Hemisphere, September onward)
Southern Hemisphere players get access to the Bamboo DIY series as spring settles in. Bamboo shoots and young spring bamboo become available when you strike bamboo plants with your axe, offering natural, light-toned crafting materials for a springtime island refresh.
DIYs To Get:
Bamboo shelf
Bamboo stool
Bamboo lunch box
Bamboo drum
Bamboo lattice fence
Bamboo wand
Bamboo candleholder
Bamboo noodle slide
Bamboo floor lamp
Bamboo sphere
Bamboo basket
Bamboo wall decoration
How To Get the DIYs:
Hit bamboo shoots with a flimsy or standard axe (never a metal axe) to collect young spring bamboo. DIY recipes come from balloon presents floating across your island and from villagers crafting inside their homes.
Items To Craft:
Bamboo shelf (8 bamboo pieces, 4 young spring bamboo)
Bamboo stool (5 bamboo pieces)
Bamboo lunch box (4 young spring bamboo)
Bamboo drum (4 bamboo pieces, 2 young spring bamboo)
Bamboo lattice fence (5 bamboo pieces per 10 fence pieces)
Bamboo wand (3 young spring bamboo, 1 star fragment)
Bamboo candleholder (2 bamboo pieces)
Bamboo noodle slide (10 bamboo pieces, 5 young spring bamboo)
Bamboo floor lamp (6 bamboo pieces)
Bamboo sphere (6 bamboo pieces)
Bamboo basket (5 young spring bamboo)
Bamboo wall decoration (7 bamboo pieces)
Zodiac Furniture (Virgo through Sep 22, Libra from Sep 23)
The zodiac furniture series is one of the longest-running crafting collections in the game, spanning the entire calendar year. September covers two signs, letting you complete two pieces if you're actively wishing on shooting stars.
DIYs To Get:
Virgo harp recipe (through September 22)
Libra scale recipe (September 23 onward)
How To Get the DIYs:
Celeste appears on your island on nights with meteor showers. Talk to her to receive the zodiac recipe for that active zodiac season.
Items To Craft:
Virgo harp (7 Virgo fragments, 6 star fragments, 1 large star fragment)
Libra scale (5 Libra fragments, 3 iron nuggets, 3 gold nuggets)
Once you've stocked up on materials and recipes, it's time to see which villagers you can share a birthday celebration with.
ACNH September Villager Birthdays
Twenty-nine villagers celebrate their birthdays throughout September. Attend their parties for cake, gifts, and unique dialogue, and collect their icons through the Nintendo Switch Online app.
September 1 – Violet
September 2 – Flo
September 3 – Spork (Crackle)
September 4 – Maggie
September 5 – Kali
September 6 – Greta
September 7 – Caesar
September 8 – Tucker
September 9 – Astrid
September 10 – Pinky
September 11 – Pecan
September 12 – Peewee
September 13 – Boone
September 14 – Moose
September 15 – Ricky
September 16 – Tutu
September 17 – Ed
September 18 – Whitney
September 19 – Bubbles
September 20 – Fuchsia
September 21 – Octavian
September 22 – Norma
September 23 – Henry
September 24 – Anicotti
September 25 – Cranston
September 26 – Apple
September 27 – Mitzi
September 28 – Teddy
September 29 – Beardo
September 30 – Cody, Marshal, and Monique
Beyond villagers, your entire island's look begins to transform this month, let's take a closer look at those scenic changes.
ACNH September Island Scene Changes
September is when the seasons visibly shift, and even if you're not hunting critters or collecting DIYs, the atmosphere alone gives you plenty of reasons to log in.
Grass & Tree Color (Northern Hemisphere)
The grass fades to a lighter green throughout September before turning orange in October. Enjoy the last bright green stretches while they last. Trees remain green for now, but the environment is clearly transitioning.
Bushes Stop Blooming
In the Northern Hemisphere, plumeria and hibiscus stop blooming on September 20. In the Southern Hemisphere, camellia finishes blooming on September 30. Take screenshots before they lose their flowers.
New Bushes Bloom
Starting September 21, northern players can enjoy the tea olive bush in full bloom. Southern players see fresh spring growth taking over their islands.
Weed Aesthetic Update
Weeds get a subtle visual refresh at the start of fall. Many players actually love the new autumn-tinted weed sprites, so consider leaving a few around for a more natural look.
Acorns & Pine Cones Falling
Shake trees to gather acorns and pine cones. Just watch out, a wasp nest or piece of furniture may fall on your head if you're unlucky.
Southern Hemisphere Spring Bloom
Down south, spring is in full swing. Cherry blossoms have long passed, but bamboo shoots, young spring bamboo, and blooming spring flowers give southern islands a fresh, vibrant palette.
September packs an incredible amount of variety into 30 days, from limited seasonal items and a farewell Bug-Off to dozens of critter changes and a completely new island color palette. Log in daily, chase down those departing sharks and butterflies, visit Corn on Harv's Island for free acorns, and enjoy the transition into fall or spring. October is shaping up to be even busier, so use September to get your island ready for the seasons ahead.
