Animal Crossing New Horizons: January Overview

This guide will tell you everything you need to know about January in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This month starts off with the New Year's Countdown and the sun making a rare appearance on-screen. Plus, find out which bugs, fish and sea creatures are coming and going in the north and south hemispheres.

Animal Crossing New Horizons January Overview

January in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the first month of a whole new year. The month, and indeed the year, starts off with a bang with the New Year’s Countdown. Things might wind down after that, but there’s plenty to do. There’s new fish and bugs to find, plus a last chance to grab those that might soon disappear for a while! There’s also plenty of birthdays to keep an eye out for. You’ve also got the Fishing Tournament to look forward to, and the Bug Off in the southern hemisphere.

Let’s jump right in and see what the month of January has to offer for New Horizons.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available on Nintendo Switch.

January Events

What’s happening in January in New Horizons? Quite a few things, in fact. 

New Year’s Countdown

Occurs: December 31st – January 1st

Hemisphere: Both

Although the countdown officially takes place at the very end of December, it runs into January 1st, so the event is included for this month, and this guide.

There’s nothing like celebrating the end of a year and the beginning of a new one with a New Year’s Countdown. That’s exactly what you can do in New Horizons.

Get ready to count down to midnight with your fellow villagers and watch a marvelous fireworks display. Your fellow villagers will begin to gather outside Resident Services from 11pm, ready for the big moment when the clock strikes twelve. The fireworks start at midnight and last until 2am. Don’t forget to buy your exclusive New Year’s hats and party poppers to celebrate in style!

Start a new year with the big New Year's Countdown.

Start a new year with the big New Year’s Countdown.

Be aware that Resident Services will be closed for the duration of New Year’s Eve (December 31st). The entrance will be blocked by the New Year’s countdown board. Keep this in mind if you want to access anything at Resident Services. Make sure you do or get everything you want from there before this date, or wait until January 1st, when Resident Services re-opens. Don’t worry about missing out on redeeming your Nook Miles points at the Nook Stop terminal. You can collect your points on January 1st.

Watch the Sun Rise and Set

Occurs: January 1st

Hemisphere: Both

On January 1st, you’ll get to witness a rare natural event in New Horizons. On this day only, you will actually get to physically see the sun as it rises and sets! For the rest of the year, the sun shines off-screen, so this is an amazing rare event you cannot miss.

To see the sun rise, be tuned into your game just before 7am on January 1st. You’ll see it slowly rise up from the horizon for the next hour or so, until it disappears off-screen. For the rest of the day, you’ll notice that the light seems brighter, and the shadows seem different.

If you want to watch a truly stunning sunset, the sun will reappear from 4pm, finally sinking into the horizon at about half five. 

Watching the sun rise and set on the 1st of January is a tradition in some places in the world, and you can experience it too in New Horizons.

Seeing the sun on the 1st of January in New Horizons is a sight to behold.

Seeing the sun on the 1st of January in New Horizons is a sight to behold.

New Year’s Items

Occurs: Until January 5th

Hemisphere: Both

Since late December, you can buy items from Nook Shopping to celebrate the New Year. There are plenty of goodies to get. Some items are unique to the year you’re playing in. For example, in 2022, a new 2022 balloon arch was made available, as well as the Tiger Zodiac Figurine. Make sure to get your New Year goodies to commemorate the occasion!

Items are available to party into the New Year.

Items are available to party into the New Year.

Shōgatsu

Occurs: 1st – 5th

Hemisphere: Both

There’s more New Year’s stuff you can get, if you can’t get enough of it. There’s also some traditional Japanese New Year’s items to grab. There are 5 of these, and they are:

  • Kadomatsu – 2,580 Bells
  • Kagamimochi – 1,800 Bells
  • New Year’s Shimekazari – 2,000 Bells
  • Osechi – 5,000 Bells
  • Otoshidama Envelope – 500 Bells
Get some traditional Japanese New Year's items while you can.

Get some traditional Japanese New Year’s items while you can.

Festive Series Ends

Occurs: Until January 6th

Hemisphere: Both

By this time, you’ve probably got your fill of festivities surrounding Toy Day. The event has since passed, and on the 6th of January, the Festive Series will end. This means that you won’t be able to shake Ornaments out of trees after this date, used for DIY recipes from the Festive Series. The lights on the pine trees will also be taken down. If you want to continue crafting items from the Festive Series, gather as many Ornaments while you still can.

The Festive Series ends near the beginning of January, as Toy Day is left behind.

The Festive Series ends near the beginning of January, as Toy Day is left behind.

Nanakusa Gayu

Occurs: January 5th – 7th

Hemisphere: Both

This is a single Nook Shopping edible item available for a very brief period of time, bought for 1,200 Bells. Nanakusa Gayu is a porridge of rice with seven herbs. It is traditionally eaten on the morning of the 7th of January to celebrate the occasion Jinjitsu. Eating this dish gains you 5 energy points, useful for breaking rocks and digging up trees.

Fishing Tournament

Occurs: Second Saturday of January

Hemisphere: Both

There’s a fishing tournament taking place on the second Saturday of January, and both hemispheres get to enjoy it. As always, it starts at 9am and ends at 6pm. Look out for C.J. and complete his challenges for cool rewards and sell your fish for lots of Bells.

The Fishing Tournament will take place in both hemispheres, but not the Bug Off.

The Fishing Tournament will take place in both hemispheres, but not the Bug Off.

 

Big Game Celebration

Occurs: January 15th – February 15th

Hemisphere: Both

There’s no actual Big Game in New Horizons, unfortunately, but there are some cool Big Game Celebration items you can get with Nook Shopping. The Football Rug (2,000 Bells) and Cheer Megaphone (1,500 Bells) will get you in the mood for the Big Game. The Cheer Megaphone comes in 4 different designs, and you can blow on them to make a loud noise.

Hype up for the Big Game with megaphones and a football rug.

Hype up for the Big Game with megaphones and a football rug.

Bug Off

Occurs: Third Saturday of January

Hemisphere: South Only

If you’re playing in the southern hemisphere, the Saturday after the fishing tournament, you get an extra event with the Bug Off. There’s not many bugs around in the winter, and since it’s summer in the southern hemisphere and it’s teeming with bugs, it makes sense why it’s only taking place there in January. Like the fishing tournament, it starts from 9am and ends at 6pm. Flick is the person you want to seek to grab some unique prizes and sell your bugs for good Bells.

Groundhog Day

Occurs: January 25th – February 2nd

Hemisphere: Both

This is another occasion marked by an item courtesy of Nook Shopping. You can get a Resetti Model for 2,200 Bells. The story of Groundhog Day is that every year on February the 2nd, a special groundhog will emerge. Winter will continue for another six weeks if it sees its own shadow, but if it doesn’t, then spring will arrive early. Although this holiday takes place at the beginning of February, the model is available from the end of January.

Get your Resetti Model to commemorate Groundhog Day.

Get your Resetti Model to commemorate Groundhog Day.

Setsubun

Occurs: January 25th – February 3rd

Hemisphere: Both

Around the same time as Groundhog Day, another holiday is being celebrated: Setsubun. In New Horizons, you can buy a Bean-Tossing Kit from Nook Shopping for 800 Bells. You can actually toss the beans around outside by equipping the kit and pressing the A button. During Setsubun, a holiday mainly from Japan, people toss beans around outside and shout to ward off demons, in order to stave off illness and disaster and encourage a year of good health and peace.

Throw beans around in the tradition of Setsubun with the Bean-Tossing Kit.

Throw beans around in the tradition of Setsubun with the Bean-Tossing Kit.

Lunar New Year

Occurs: January 30th – February 6th

Hemisphere: Both

The big New Year’s Countdown is on the 31st of December, but there’s another New Year celebration. Lunar New Year in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. While it’s not marked by a big event like the New Year’s Countdown, you can still take part by purchasing some goods from Nook Shopping, namely the Lucky Red Envelope (500 Bells) and Lunar New Year Decoration (2,000 Bells).

While the latter is just a decoration, like its name suggests, the Lucky Red Envelope is interactable. You can put Bells inside and gift it to someone else in the tradition of the Lunar New Year. Red Envelopes with money are traditionally gifted to children to wish them good fortune.

Nook Shopping provides the Red Lucky Envelope and Wall Decoration for the Lunar New Year.

Nook Shopping provides the Red Lucky Envelope and Wall Decoration for the Lunar New Year.

Seollal

Occurs: January 30th – February 6th

Hemisphere: Both

Seollal is technically part of the Lunar New Year, but this is a Korean tradition. You can buy a Bokjumeoni Lucky Pouch from Nook Shopping for 500 Bells. Like the Lunar New Year’s Lucky Red Envelope, you can put Bells in the Lucky Pouch and give it to someone else in the game. Seollal shares the same tradition as Lunar New Year: giving children money in small bags to wish them good fortune and health.

Celebrate the Lunar New Year Korean style with the Bokjumeoni Lucky Pouch.

Celebrate the Lunar New Year Korean style with the Bokjumeoni Lucky Pouch.

January Birthdays

January is a month full of birthdays in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, some of these celebrating the birthdays of special NPCs. Make a note of these villagers and their birthdays, so you can get ready to party with them and get a gift together.

Date Villager/Character
1st Bob
2nd Poncho
3rd Joey
4th Diana
5th Roald
6th Carmen
7th Harry
8th Pierce, Joan
9th Tiffany
10th Papi
11th Maddie
12th Moe
13th Puddle
14th Velma
15th Glady
16th Ursula
17th Rizzo
18th Chelsea, Shurb
19th Simon
20th Opal, Quinn
21st Genji
22nd Francine
23rd Gwen
24th Rhonda
25th Savannah
26th Cyrus, Vivian
27th Admiral, Aurora
28th Margie
29th Cube
30th Flurry
31st Winnie, Harriet

January Bugs, Fish and Sea Creatures

It’s the peak of winter in the north, and the heart of summer in the southern hemisphere. This means plenty of bugs, fish and sea creatures are around in both hemispheres in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

The good news is that there is already a dedicated guide to fish, bugs, and sea creatures in the month of January in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. If you want to find out all the details on fish, bugs, and sea creatures for this month, you should check it out.

Let’s quickly summarize what you can expect for fish, bugs, and sea creatures in January in New Horizons. What’s available depends on which hemisphere you’re playing in.

Bugs

Let’s begin with bugs in the northern hemisphere. There aren’t any new bugs to look out for in the north in January, nor is anything leaving. Nothing is changing at all this month.

In the southern hemisphere though, there’s a wide variety of new bugs available. These include cicadas, beetles, and stags. You can generally find cicadas during the day (except the Evening Cicada), beetles all day (except the Scarab Beetle), and stags at night. Many of these will stick around until the end of February, so catch them while you can! January is also your last chance to get the honeybee until it reappears in September.

Among many others, earth-boring dung beetles can be found in the south in January.

Among many others, earth-boring dung beetles can be found in the south in January.

Fish

For fish, there’s nothing new to report in the northern hemisphere. There’s nothing coming or going.

In the southern hemisphere, there’s some new fish to keep an eye out for. There’s 5 altogether: the blue marlin, napoleonfish, ocean sunfish, pufferfish, and sweetfish. It’s also your last chance to catch a tadpole, which can only be found in ponds. It won’t come back until September, which is a long time, so if you haven’t nabbed it yet, now’s the time.

This tiny tadpole will disappear after January in the south.

This tiny tadpole will disappear after January in the south.

Sea Creatures

What about those creatures only found by diving into the ocean surrounding your island? Starting in the north, there’s nothing new arriving. However, the abalone and lobster disappears at the end of the month in the northern hemisphere, so grab them while you can.

In the southern hemisphere, there are a couple of new sea creatures to find. There are 3 new creatures to find: the moon jellyfish, the elusive and valuable giant isopod, and the horseshoe crab (which comes out late at night). After January, you won’t be able to get seaweed until April comes around.

The giant isopod is a hard find, but very rewarding.

The giant isopod is a hard find, but very rewarding.

That sums up the month of January in Animal Crossing: New Horizons! What’s your favorite thing about January in New Horizons? Let us know in the comments.

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