Whether you want to admit it or not, summer is coming to an end. Your flip flops and sandals will be replaced by boots and slippers, your bathing suits and sundresses will be replaced by sweaters and jeans, and basking in the heat of the sun will be replaced by admiring the natural beauty of fall leaves.
Maybe you love autumn and can’t wait for it; if that’s you, we’ve gathered together dates that mark the official start of fall.
If you’re sad about summer ending, these dates are to help ease you into the transition from summer months to fall months.
And if you hate fall…well, these are maybe some dates you should take a personal day? Or maybe consider moving to a summer-all-year type of place.
Anyway, here are some dates to mark on your calendar:
Labor Day and the First Day of Fall
Labor Day, falling on September 1 this year and giving everyone a long weekend, is the unofficial end of summer; it’s the last long weekend you can go to the beach, which means it’s probably the last time you’ll go this year. Labor Day Weekend could be your last long weekend before Thanksgiving, so take advantage of it.
While Labor Day is the unofficial end to summer and the start to fall, the first official day of fall is September 22. So that means that if you want to squeeze in another beach day, you still have about another month of summer. And if you want to embrace all things autumn, you don’t have to wait until September 22.
Football Season and WNBA Championship season begin!
If you follow NFL football, you are probably already eagerly awaiting September 4, the first day of the NFL season, which opens with the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, playing the Dallas Cowboys in Philadelphia.
If you follow college football, you’re in luck: College football returns this weekend with multiple games, including Iowa State versus Kansas State at noon on Saturday, August 23.
Maybe you’re more into basketball than football? The WNBA season is in full swing, counting down the days until the playoffs, which begin on September 14. While the playoff picture isn’t built yet, some are anticipating a 2024 Finals rematch between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx.
Plus, if you love baseball, fall means the World Series! The playoffs start September 30.
Series Premieres and Returns
Maybe sports aren’t your thing, maybe you’re more excited about what new TV and movies will grace your screen this fall.
Part two of the second season of Wednesday comes out November 23. The Paper, an Office spinoff, premieres September 4. Only Murders in the Building season five comes out September 9. Glen Powell’s latest project, Chad Powers, debuts September 30. Finally, the TV event that marks fall for most people every year is the premiere of Saturday Night Live’s 51st season, bringing you laughs starting October 4.
And, the movie event everyone is waiting for, possibly the most important date on this list, is November 21, when Wicked: For Good will come singing to our theaters.
If none of those events piques your interest, now is a great time to revisit some fall classics. We’re talking When Harry Met Sally (1989)(arguably the most fall movie ever), It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1996), and Gilmore Girls.
Pumpkin Spice Lattes
Though Labor Day is the widely accepted official start of fall and the first day of fall is officially September 22, another unofficial start to fall is coming even sooner: Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Lattes will officially be back on the menu on August 26.
While Pumpkin Spice might not be your thing, this marks another trend you’ll see soon; as we inch closer to September, stores and restaurants will transition to fall, including fall decor and foods, and Halloween paraphernalia everywhere. And if Halloween costumes always stress you out on October 1-30, now might be a good time to start thinking about your costume.
Harvest Festivals and Apple Picking
While it’s different everywhere, the beginning of fall means it’s time to get lost in a corn maze, pick some apples, and support local artists at harvest festivals—you might have one in your area to check out. If you look it up now, you’ll be prepared to go; you and I both know that as soon as the weather turns a little crisper, you’ll want some homemade hot apple cider, and what better place to drink it than at a harvest festival?
The Emmys and Other Awards Ceremonies
While awards typically take the summer off, we’ll finish out the biggest of the awards season (before starting a new one) with the Emmy’s on September 4, this year hosted by Nate Bargatze. If you want to read up on this year’s nominees, check out our Just N Life recap here.
New Fall Music
Though the summer music season flows pretty directly into the fall music season, there are a few huge upcoming music releases you might be excited about:
Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend debuts August 29. Ed Sheeran’s Play graces our ears on September 12. Cardi B will release Am I the Drama? on September 19. Christmas’s queen, Mariah Carey, has a new album, Here for It All, coming out September 26.
And, announced just last week on Travis and Jason Kelce’s podcast, New Heights, absolutely destroying the Internet, is Taylor Swift’s twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, out October 3.
And finally, if none of these dates are speaking to you, and you’re still not excited about fall, take a look at Today’s list of holidays for September. You might have a new reason to celebrate fall!
Happy fall!
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