March equinox 2026

The March equinox 2026 is on Friday, March 20, 2026 (in 304 days).  Calendar for 2026

The March equinox 2025 has already passed: it was on Thursday, March 20, 2025 (61 days ago).  Calendar for 2025

Please note: The dates given on this page are based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which for practical purposes is equivalent to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). While the March equinox occurs at the same moment in time all over the world, the date and local time differ from location to location depending on a location's time zone. For more details see the explanations below.

The March equinox, also called northward equinox, is the moment in time (not a day-long event) when the Sun stands directly above the equator while crossing from the south to the north. For the Northern Hemisphere (where nearly 90% of the world's population live) it is the vernal equinox (spring equinox) as it is the moment when winter ends and spring begins, while for the Southern Hemisphere it is the autumn equinox (fall equinox), the moment when summer ends and autumn (fall) begins. Up until the March equinox the Sun rises and sets more to the south of the equator, and afterwards it rises and sets more to the north.

The March equinox occurs every year between March 19 and March 21. The dates given on this page are based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which for practical purposes is equivalent to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT - the time zone of the United Kingdom). While the March equinox occurs at the same moment in time all over the world, the date and local time differ from place to place depending on the year and a location's time zone. For locations that are ahead of UTC (further east) it may fall on the day after, and for locations that are behind UTC (further west) it may fall on the day before. To find out the exact date and time of the March equinox 2026 in your area use this seasons calculator.

The March equinox is one of four days with solar events (two equinoxes and two solstices) throughout the year that mark the beginning of a new season. The other days are the June solstice, the September equinox and the December solstice.

Further reading:

• March equinox on Wikipedia
• Equinoxes in general on Wikipedia

Overview: seasons, equinoxes and solstices

Dates shown apply to the Northern Hemisphere and are based on UTC (GMT)

Season	Start	End
Spring	Spring equinox (vernal equinox, March equinox) March 19 to 21	Summer solstice (June solstice) June 20 to 22
Summer	Summer solstice (June solstice) June 20 to 22	Autumn equinox (Fall equinox, September equinox) September 21 to 24
Autumn (Fall)	Autumn equinox (Fall equinox, September equinox) September 21 to 24	Winter solstice (December solstice) December 20 to 23
Winter	Winter solstice (December solstice) December 20 to 23	Spring equinox (vernal equinox, March equinox) March 19 to 21

The March equinox 2027 is on Saturday, March 20, 2027 (in 669 days).  Calendar for 2027

Dates of the March equinox 2026 and surrounding years as downloadable image file