7 ACNH August Updates & Changes 2022: Tomato Festival, New Item, Weather Phenomena & More
Now we are looking ahead to the month of August, the final month of the summer season that will bring a few alterations and adjustments to Animal Crossing New Horizons. In this guide, we breakdown everything you need to know, including a brand new Seasonal Event Tomato Festival and a brand new item, updates to holidays and the changes to weather phenomena that we can expect to see and much more.
7 Updates & Changes To August Animal Crossing New Horizons 2022
1. Tomato Festival
This is probably the most exciting update for August, especially if you’ve been playing for a while. This is because a brand new Seasonal Event called the Tomato Festival takes place, and is debuting for the first time in the entire franchise in August 2022. This wasn’t even available last year. From August 20th and running through to August 31st we celebrate the Tomato Festival and in honour of the real-world event, we can order the long awaited Tomato Festival Tee, which is now the best shirt in the entire game.
2. Seasonal Events
Now the Tomato Festival isn’t the only Seasonal Event taking place in August because 3 other Events are returning this year including the Cowboy Festival, Cowherd and Weaver Girl Day and Obon.
Cowboy Festival adds the Rodeo-Style Springy Ride On and continues to be available from July through to August 15th.
Cowherd and Weaver Girl Day adds the Orihime and Hikoboshi Outfits, and unlike last year is now celebrated from July 26th through to Aug 4th. This is one of a handful of Events that changes its dates every year. After launch it run for the entire month of August, last year it was available from Aug 5th through to the 16th, and this year, it begins in July.
The Bon Festival or Obon adds the Cucumber Horse and the Eggplant Cow, and can be celebrated from August 10th through to August 16th. This Seasonal Event remains the same.
3. Events
August is the month of the traditional Firework Show or Festival in all Animal Crossing games. Animal Crossing New Horizons is no exception and the Fireworks Show returns this year. The Fireworks Shows take place every Sunday with villagers and special character gathering at the plaza during the day, and the actual show running from 7pm through to midnight. During this event, several limited-items are available, including Boppers from Isabelle, special clothing items from the Able Sisters and a bunch of fun and interactive Raffle-Prizes from Redd. You can chat with villagers, design custom fireworks or simply enjoy the show. It’s a pretty special event and this year takes place 4 times.
4. Bug-Off
With August being the final month of summer, we can look forward to the 3rd summer Bug-Off that takes place on the 4th Saturday of the month. On August 27th Flick will stop by the plaza to host the Tourney and challenge you to catch as many bugs as possible. This is a great opportunity to earn 1 of 3 Bug-Off trophies as well as some limited-time items you may have missed from previous contests, including the Bug Cage and Bug Wand. Unfortunately with this being a Summer Event, players in the Southern Hemisphere will have to wait until November for their 3rd contest of the year, or their first contest of the next wave of Bug-Offs.
5. Seasonal Materials
With it being Summer in the Northern Hemisphere and it running all the way up-to August 31st, players in the Northern Hemisphere see no change in the Seasonal Materials that can be encountered on the Island. Summer Shells will continue to spawn, alongside their corresponding DIYs until the end of the month, and season. However, winter comes to an end on August 24th for Players in the Southern Hemisphere, so you will see a transition from winter to spring towards the end of the month. This means Snowflakes will stop spawning and Young-Spring Bamboo can be encountered from August 25th.
6. Island Aesthetics
We always like to look at some of the smaller details and changes we can expect to see including Bushes and Clouds. However, there isn’t really any changes for those in the Northern Hemisphere. Pink and White Plumeria Bushes and Red and Yellow Hibiscus Bushes both continue to flower through to September. Furthermore, we can continue to encounter Rainbows and Cumulonimbus Clouds for the rest of the month. Similarly for players in the Southern Hemisphere, Red and Pink Camellia Bushes continue to flower through to September and Billow Clouds can still be encountered until the end of August. However, August is the last chance for players in the Southern Hemisphere to encounter Aurora’s for a while, as they stop spawning at the end of winter, and from August 25th Rainbows can be seen instead. Also, Heavy Fog that on rare occasions covers an entire island can no-longer be encountered when Spring begins.
7. Critters
Now it won’t be much of an update and changes video without mentioning critters. As you’d expect with any change in Month, players across both Hemisphere can encounter new Bugs, Fish and Deep-Sea Creatures. Naturally, with it being summer in the Northern Hemisphere, we encounter the most, with a total of 7 new critters spawning on the New Horizons Island. These include the Migratory Locust, the Moray Eel and the Flatworm to name a few. Players in the Southern Hemisphere don’t have to worry too much as it is winter, and only one lonely Critter will be joining their Islands, which is the Tiger Beetle. Depending on when you started your New Horizons journey, this is a great time to collect the last few critters you may need for the museum.
