ACNH September Update 2026: Events, Items, DIYs, Critters & Full Guide
September is one of the busiest and most rewarding months in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The month brings full seasonal transitions for both Northern and Southern Hemisphere islands. Players get limited-time events, rotating wildlife, exclusive DIY crafting recipes, seasonal furniture, and monthly villager birthdays.
Whether you are prepping your island for fall or refreshing scenery for spring, the September 2026 update includes dozens of time-sensitive rewards. This complete ACNH September guide covers every new feature to help you collect all limited content before it expires.
Core Seasonal Changes for September 2026
September starts fall in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere. The two hemispheres feature opposite scenery, crafting materials, and critter spawns. Nook Shopping also refreshes with brand new seasonal items for all players.
Northern islands show lighter green grass, falling acorns and pine cones, and host the final Bug-Off of the year. Southern islands grow fresh spring bamboo and blooming seasonal plants.
Best ACNH September Limited-Time Events
September includes multiple cultural festivals, one official tournament, and a free NPC reward event. All events have fixed dates and exclusive obtainable items.
Grape Harvest Festival (All September)
The Grape Harvest Festival runs the entire month. It is a European-inspired seasonal celebration with no visiting NPC. All grape-themed rewards are available through Nook Shopping.
| Event Item | Obtain Method | Availability |
| Grape harvest basket | Nook Shopping Seasonal Goods | Full September |
| Grape backpack (wearable) | Nook Shopping Seasonal Goods | Full September |
Order items via your NookPhone. All purchases arrive in your mailbox the next day.
Moon Viewing Event (September 12 – 21)
This 10-day event celebrates East Asian mid-autumn traditions. All festival foods are edible after the 2.0 game update, adding interactive gameplay.
| Event Item | Item Type |
| Moon rug | Decor furniture |
| Dango | Edible food |
| Moon cakes | Edible food |
You can find all items under the seasonal tab in Nook Shopping during the event period.
Chuseok Festival (September 12 – 21)
Chuseok runs alongside the moon viewing event. It features traditional Korean harvest content with one exclusive edible item that provides in-game stamina boosts.
| Event Item | Function |
| Songpyeon | Edible Korean rice cake, stamina boost for digging and chopping |
Final 2026 Bug-Off (September 24 | Northern Hemisphere)
Northern players join the year's last Bug-Off tournament on September 24 from 9 AM to 6 PM. You pay 500 Bells to enter three-minute bug-catching rounds. Saved points carry over from previous events.
| Bug-Off Rewards | Reward Type |
| Artisanal bug cage | Furniture |
| Tree's bounty bug trophies | Trophy decor |
| Bug aloha shirts | Clothing |
| Ladybug umbrella | Accessory |
| Butterfly umbrella | Accessory |
| Bronze / Silver / Gold Trophy | Score-based award (100+ points) |
Exchange points immediately after each round to collect all prizes.
Free Acorn Rewards from Corn (Harv's Island)
Starting in September, the special NPC Corn appears on Harv's Island. This character is Tortimer in a classic Wild World outfit, serving as a beloved game Easter egg.
Players receive free acorns daily by talking to Corn. No tree shaking is required. This is the easiest way to farm early fall crafting materials in September.
September Zodiac Items & Crafting Guide
September covers two zodiac seasons. Players collect unique star fragments and exclusive DIY recipes during meteor showers.
| Zodiac Season | Date Range | Obtainable Materials & Recipes |
| Virgo Season | Until September 22 | Virgo fragments, Virgo harp DIY |
| Libra Season | September 23 onward | Libra fragments, Libra scale DIY |
Wish on shooting stars on starry nights to collect fragments. Talk to Celeste to unlock zodiac furniture recipes.
September Critter Rotation Guide (Bugs, Fish, Sea Creatures)
September brings the biggest critter update of the year. Summer creatures leave, while fall and spring wildlife spawn for different hemispheres.
September New Bugs
| Hemisphere | New Spawning Bugs |
| Northern | Common butterfly, yellow butterfly, monarch butterfly, cricket, bell cricket, red dragonfly, violin beetle, pill bug, centipede |
| Southern | Yellow butterfly, tiger butterfly, peacock butterfly, mantis, orchid mantis, honeybee, stinkbug, man-faced stink bug, ladybug |
September Departing Bugs
| Hemisphere | Leaving Bugs |
| Northern | 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, mosquito |
| Southern | Emperor butterfly |
Prioritize rare high-value bugs before they disappear for months.
Don't Miss Out Before October!
Catching rare spawns like the Golden Trout or elusive summer sharks takes endless hours of grinding and Fish Bait. Running out of time? You can Buy ACNH Bells & Fish Bait Bundles or get All Critter directly to complete your Critterpedia and Museum hassle-free!
September New Fish Spawns
| Hemisphere | Leaving Bugs |
| Northern | 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, mosquito |
| Southern | Emperor butterfly |
The golden trout is the top September catch, worth 15,000 Bells.
September Departing Fish
Northern Hemisphere loses 23 summer fish including sharks, dorado, and arapaima. Southern Hemisphere loses cold-water species such as stringfish and sturgeon. Make sure to donate rare fish to the museum before September ends.
September Sea Creature Updates
| Hemisphere | New Sea Creatures | Departing Sea Creatures |
| Northern | Oyster, sweet shrimp | Flatworm, gigas giant clam, horseshoe crab, moon jellyfish, sea grapes, sea urchin, slate pencil urchin, tiger prawn |
| Southern | Chambered nautilus, firefly squid, spider crab | No major departures |
Stock up on oysters early for November Turkey Day crafting.
September Seasonal DIY Recipes & Crafting Materials
September releases hemisphere-exclusive DIY series for fall and spring decoration. All recipes drop from balloons or crafting villagers.
Northern Hemisphere Tree's Bounty Crafting List
This fall set runs September 1 to November 30 using acorns and pine cones.
| Craft Item | Required Materials |
| Tree's bounty lamp | 6 acorns, 6 pine cones, 5 weeds |
| Tree's bounty little tree | 10 pine cones, 8 hardwood |
| Tree's bounty mobile | 5 acorns, 5 pine cones, 4 branches |
| Tree's bounty big tree | 10 acorns, 10 pine cones, 10 hardwood |
| Tree's bounty arch | 10 acorns, 10 pine cones, 5 branches, 5 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 |
Skip the Daily Grind & Craft Instantly!
Gathering enough Acorns and Pine Cones for the full Tree's Bounty set can take weeks of repetitive tree-shaking. Want to decorate your fall island today? Get ACNH DIY Recipe Sets Here with instant delivery!
Northern Hemisphere Mushroom DIY Items
Early mushroom recipes start dropping in late September, with full content launching in November.
| Craft Item | Required Materials |
| 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 decor | 3 round mushrooms |
Southern Hemisphere Bamboo Crafting List
Southern players craft spring bamboo furniture for island refreshes.
| Craft Item | Required Materials |
| 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 fences |
| 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 Crafting Requirements
| Craft Item | Required Materials |
| Virgo harp | 7 Virgo fragments, 6 star fragments, 1 large star fragment |
| Libra scale | 5 Libra fragments, 3 iron nuggets, 3 gold nuggets |
Full September Villager Birthday List
29 villagers celebrate birthdays in September. Visiting them rewards unique gifts and dialogue.
| Date | Birthday Villager |
| 1-Sep | Violet |
| 2-Sep | Flo |
| 3-Sep | Spork |
| 4-Sep | Maggie |
| 5-Sep | Kali |
| 6-Sep | Greta |
| 7-Sep | Caesar |
| 8-Sep | Tucker |
| 9-Sep | Astrid |
| 10-Sep | Pinky |
| 11-Sep | Pecan |
| 12-Sep | Peewee |
| 13-Sep | Boone |
| 14-Sep | Moose |
| 15-Sep | Ricky |
| 16-Sep | Tutu |
| 17-Sep | Ed |
| 18-Sep | Whitney |
| 19-Sep | Bubbles |
| 20-Sep | Fuchsia |
| 21-Sep | Octavian |
| 22-Sep | Norma |
| 23-Sep | Henry |
| 24-Sep | Anicotti |
| 25-Sep | Cranston |
| 26-Sep | Apple |
| 27-Sep | Mitzi |
| 28-Sep | Teddy |
| 29-Sep | Beardo |
| 30-Sep | Cody, Marshal, Monique |
September Island Visual Changes
Islands undergo major aesthetic shifts throughout September for both hemispheres.
Northern Hemisphere grass turns pale green for early fall. Hibiscus and plumeria bushes stop blooming on September 20. Tea olive bushes bloom starting September 21. Autumn-colored weeds spawn naturally across the island. Trees drop acorns and pine cones when shaken.
Southern Hemisphere islands show full spring scenery with fresh bamboo growth and blooming flowers. Camellia bushes finish blooming on September 30.
Final September Gameplay Tips
September is the most content-rich month in ACNH. Players should log in daily to collect free acorns from Corn, catch all departing rare critters, farm seasonal DIY recipes, and claim limited festival items.
Completing all September content fully prepares your island for the incoming October Halloween and fall seasonal updates.
