The witches' year runs from Samhain to Samhain. These are the Sabbats and the full moons of the year now turning, with the times given for Britain.
The dates below run from Samhain 2026 to Samhain 2027. The solstices, equinoxes and full moons are astronomical events, and their times are given for the United Kingdom, in Greenwich Mean Time during the winter and British Summer Time from the last Sunday of March to the last Sunday of October. They are correct to within a few minutes.
A coven does not always meet on the exact day. Like most, we keep each festival on the nearest evening when everyone can be present, and each esbat within a day or so of the full moon.
The Sabbats
| Sabbat | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Samhain | Saturday 31 October 2026 | November Eve. The year begins |
| Yule | Monday 21 December 2026 | The winter solstice falls at about 20:50 GMT |
| Imbolc | Monday 1 February 2027 | Candlemas Eve. Candlemas Day is Tuesday 2 February |
| Spring Equinox | Saturday 20 March 2027 | The equinox falls at about 20:25 GMT |
| Beltane | Friday 30 April 2027 | May Eve. The coven's forty-sixth anniversary |
| Midsummer | Monday 21 June 2027 | The summer solstice falls at about 15:10 BST |
| Lammas | Saturday 31 July 2027 | August Eve. Lammas Day is Sunday 1 August |
| Autumn Equinox | Thursday 23 September 2027 | The equinox falls at about 07:00 BST |
| Samhain | Sunday 31 October 2027 | November Eve. The year ends and begins again |
The full moons
There are twelve full moons in this coven year. The year before had thirteen, with two in May 2026. The names in the last column are our coven's own, and are explained on the page about esbats and the moon.
| Date | Time of full moon | Our name for it |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 24 November 2026 | 14:53 GMT | Fog Moon |
| Thursday 24 December 2026 | 01:28 GMT | Yule Moon |
| Friday 22 January 2027 | 12:17 GMT | Ice Moon |
| Saturday 20 February 2027 | 23:23 GMT | Snowdrop Moon |
| Monday 22 March 2027 | 10:44 GMT | Hare Moon |
| Tuesday 20 April 2027 | 23:27 BST | Seed Moon |
| Thursday 20 May 2027 | 11:59 BST | Hawthorn Moon |
| Saturday 19 June 2027 | 01:44 BST | Mead Moon |
| Sunday 18 July 2027 | 16:45 BST | Hay Moon |
| Tuesday 17 August 2027 | 08:29 BST | Corn Moon |
| Thursday 16 September 2027 | Just after midnight BST | Harvest Moon |
| Friday 15 October 2027 | 14:47 BST | Hunter's Moon |
When the moon is full in the small hours, as in December, June and September of this year, it will look fullest on the evening before the date given. The Harvest Moon of 2027 is best seen on the night of Wednesday 15 September.
How the dates are fixed
- The Greater Sabbats
- Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane and Lammas are kept on fixed dates. Samhain, Beltane and Lammas fall on the eve of the first day of November, May and August, and Imbolc on the evening of 1 February, which is the eve of Candlemas Day. All four begin at sunset.
- The Lesser Sabbats
- Yule, Midsummer and the two equinoxes are kept on the day of the solstice or equinox itself, which varies by a day or so from one year to another.
- The esbats
- The moon is full at a single instant, when it stands opposite the sun. To the eye it looks full for the night before and the night after as well, and any of the three will serve.
A note on our meetings
This calendar is published so that readers can keep the festivals and the moons for themselves. It is not a programme of events. The coven's circles are private and are open only to its initiates, and we do not publish where or at what hour we meet.