ACNH October Update 2024: Events, Seasonal Items, DIYs, Bugs, Fish, Sea Creatures, Changes
October is perhaps one of the most exciting and content-packed months in all of Animal Crossing. Since the series began in 2001, October has always been special, and this year in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is no exception. Let's go over the updates and changes you can expect to see around your island this October.
Animal Crossing New Horizons October Events & Updates 2024
1. Halloween Event
Date: October 31st (from 5:00 PM to 12:00 AM)
The main event is Halloween, happening on October 31st from 5:00 p.m. till midnight. This event is one of the best in Animal Crossing, and New Horizons makes it amazing. During Halloween, you'll find Jack in the Resident Services Plaza. Your goal is to collect Halloween-themed items by interacting with villagers who are trick-or-treating. Give them candy, or they'll play tricks on you! Some items are exclusive to Halloween night, so don't miss out. It's also the only time you can collect the cute lollipop item.
Items To Get:
Candy - You can purchase Candy from Nook's Cranny throughout October, and use it to trick-or-treat with villagers on Halloween night. Villagers will give you exclusive Halloween items or Lollipops in exchange for Candy.
Spooky Set Items - By giving Candy to villagers on Halloween night, you can collect 5 different Spooky Set items, as well as 2 Spooky Set DIY recipes. These include items like the Spooky Arch, Spooky Chair, Spooky Lantern, and more.
Jack's Costume Items - You can get Jack's Robe and Jack's Face by giving 2 pieces of Candy to Jack, the Halloween Czar.
Spooky Carriage and Spooky Wand - You can get these exclusive items by giving Lollipops to Jack. The Spooky Carriage requires 2 Lollipops, and the Spooky Wand DIY requires 3 Lollipops.
New Halloween Reactions - You can unlock the Haunt and Scare reactions by giving Candy to Jack and villagers, respectively.
2. Fishing Tourney
Date: October 12th
Another event to look forward to is the Fishing Tourney on October 8th, available in both hemispheres. It's the last tourney of the year, hosted by CJ. While CJ might not be everyone's favorite, the rewards are worth it. Plus, it’s fun to see your villagers dressed up!
Item To Get:
Exclusive Fishing Tourney Furniture and Clothing Items:
Anchor Statue (6 variations)
Fish Doorplate (8 variations)
Fish Print (7 variations)
Fish-Drying Rack (3 variations)
Fishing-Rod Stand (3 variations)
Fish Pochette
Fish Print Tee
Fish Umbrella
Fish Wand
Fresh Cooler
Marine Pop Wall
Tackle Bag
Fishing Tourney Trophies:
Bronze Trophy (for earning 100 total points)
Silver Trophy (for earning 200 total points)
Gold Trophy (for earning 300 total points)
Fish Bait:
Crafting and using Fish Bait can help you catch more fish during the 3-minute challenges, improving your score.
3. Explorer's Day
Date: October 14th
Explorer's Day is a fun, exploration-themed event in Animal Crossing: New Horizons that takes place in mid-October, with Isabelle rewarding players with a special Sailboat Model item. It's a great opportunity to celebrate the joys of discovery and customization in the game.
Items To Get: Sailboat Model, Cutout Standee, Sea Captain's Coat
4. October Seasonal Items & DIYs
October is sparse for seasonal items in Nook Shopping, with the marigold decoration available to celebrate the Day of the Dead. For those in the southern hemisphere, it's cherry blossom season, a time to collect cherry blossom-themed items and enjoy the pink trees.
Acorns and Pine Cones
During the fall season (September to November in the Northern Hemisphere, March to May in the Southern Hemisphere), you can obtain acorns and pine cones by shaking the appropriate trees on your island:
Shake hardwood trees to get acorns
Shake cedar trees to get pine cones
These seasonal materials have a roughly 15% drop rate when shaking the trees, so you'll need to shake them multiple times to gather enough.
Acorns and Pine Cones DIYs & Items
There are 10 different DIY recipes that use acorns and pine cones as crafting materials:
Acorn Pochette (6 acorns)
Acorn Rug (6 acorns)
Leaf Campfire (3 pine cones, 5 weeds, 3 branches)
Pile of Leaves (3 pine cones, 5 weeds)
Pine Bonsai Tree (8 pine cones, 5 clay)
Traditional Balancing Toy (4 acorns, 2 hardwood)
Tree's Bounty Arch (4 pine cones, 5 acorns, 5 maple leaves, 15 branches)
Tree's Bounty Big Tree (4 acorns, 4 clay, 5 maple leaves, 5 pine cones, 5 branches)
Tree's Bounty Lamp (6 acorns, 4 clay)
Tree's Bounty Little Tree (6 pine cones, 4 acorns, 1 hardwood)
Yellow-Leaf Pile (3 acorns, 5 weeds)
You can obtain these DIY recipes by shooting down balloon presents or finding them washed up on the beach in bottles. The Tree's Bounty Little Tree recipe is also sometimes given to you by Isabelle at the start of the fall season.
Mushrooms
In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, mushrooms are a seasonal item that appear around your island during the fall months. Northern Hemisphere players can find mushrooms throughout November, while Southern Hemisphere players will see them in May.
Mushroom DIYs & Items
There are a total of 12 different Mushroom-themed DIY recipes that players can obtain during the mushroom season:
Mush Wall (1 Elegant Mushroom, 1 Round Mushroom, 1 Skinny Mushroom, 1 Flat Mushroom)
Forest Flooring (1 Rare Mushroom, 2 Round Mushrooms, 2 Skinny Mushrooms, 2 Flat Mushrooms, 10 Weeds)
Forest Wall (2 Elegant Mushrooms, 2 Round Mushrooms, 2 Skinny Mushrooms, 2 Flat Mushrooms, 10 Wood)
Mush Lamp (1 Skinny Mushroom, 5 Clay)
Mush Low Stool (2 Round Mushrooms)
Mush Parasol (3 Flat Mushrooms)
Mush Partition (3 Skinny Mushrooms)
Mush Table (2 Flat Mushrooms, 6 Wood)
Mush Umbrella (3 Flat Mushrooms)
Mushroom Wand (3 Skinny Mushrooms, 3 Star Fragments)
Mushroom Wreath (10 Tree Branches, 1 Round Mushroom, 1 Skinny Mushroom, 1 Flat Mushroom)
Mush Log (2 Skinny Mushrooms, 1 Log Stool)
The Mushroom DIY recipes can be obtained in a few ways: Shooting down balloon presents, Finding messages in bottles on the beach, Talking to your villagers Checking Isabelle's morning announcements.
Maple Leaves
Maple leaf DIY recipes can be obtained from November 15 to November 25 (northern hemisphere) or May 15 to May 25 (southern hemisphere). These red leaves can be collected and used to craft exclusive fall-themed furniture and items.
Maple Leaf DIYs (Items)
There are a total of 10 different Maple Leaf-themed DIY recipes that players can obtain during the Maple Leaf season:
Autumn Wall (10 Maple Leaves, 5 Wood, 5 Weeds)
Colored-Leaves Flooring (10 Maple Leaves, 15 Weeds)
Leaf Stool (3 Maple Leaves, 3 Wood)
Maple-Leaf Pochette (6 Maple Leaves)
Maple-Leaf Pond Stone (10 Stone, 3 Maple Leaves)
Maple-Leaf Rug (6 Maple Leaves)
Maple-Leaf Umbrella (7 Maple Leaves)
Red-Leaf Pile (3 Maple Leaves, 4 Weeds)
Tree's Bounty Arch (4 Pine Cones, 5 Acorns, 5 Maple Leaves, 15 Tree Branches)
Tree's Bounty Big Tree (5 Pine Cones, 4 Acorns, 4 Maple Leaves, 8 Tree Branches, 4 Clay)
To obtain these Maple Leaf DIY recipes, you'll need to: Shoot down balloons with your slingshot during the Maple Leaf season (November 16-26 in the Northern Hemisphere, May 16-26 in the Southern Hemisphere). The balloons may contain the DIY recipes. Or check Isabelle's daily announcements, as she may give you a Maple Leaf DIY recipe.
5. October Villager Birthdays
Celebrate your villagers' birthdays throughout October. You can also collect villager icons via Nintendo Switch Online for those celebrating birthdays this month.
October 1st: Raymond (Cat, Smug)
October 2nd: Diva (Frog, Sisterly)
October 3rd: Big Top (Elephant, Lazy)
October 4th: Goose (Chicken, Jock)
October 5th: Elmer (Horse, Lazy)
October 6th: Bitty (Hippo, Snooty), Tex (Penguin, Smug)
October 7th: Cobb (Pig, Jock)
October 8th: Kiki (Cat, Normal)
October 9th: Drift (Frog, Jock)
October 10th: Benedict (Chicken, Lazy)
October 11th: Kitt (Kangaroo, Normal)
October 12th: Plucky (Chicken, Sisterly), Lyman (Koala, Jock)
October 13th: Gonzo (Koala, Cranky), Chops (Pig, Smug)
October 14th: Egbert (Chicken, Lazy)
October 15th: Bea (Dog, Normal), Hippeux (Hippo, Smug)
October 16th: Friga (Penguin, Snooty)
October 17th: Limberg (Mouse, Cranky)
October 18th: Al (Gorilla, Lazy)
October 19th: Clay (Hamster, Lazy)
October 20th: Antonio (Anteater, Jock)
October 21st: Sandy (Ostrich, Normal), Timbra (Sheep, Snooty)
October 22nd: Sylvana (Squirrel, Normal)
October 23rd: Groucho (Bear, Cranky)
October 24th: Snooty (Anteater, Snooty)
Broffina (Chicken, Snooty)
October 25th: Portia (Dog, Snooty)
October 26th: Eugene (Koala, Smug)
October 27th: Jambette (Frog, Normal)
October 28th: Gaston (Rabbit, Cranky)
October 29th: Rodeo (Bull, Lazy)
October 30th: Wade (Penguin, Lazy)
6. October Bugs, Fish, and Sea Creatures
Several new bugs and fish become available in October, including the Paper Kite Butterfly, Darner Dragonfly, and Banded Dragonfly. Many summer bugs and fish will also be leaving, so be sure to catch them before the end of the month.
Northern Hemisphere
Arriving Bugs: Ladybug
Leaving Bugs: Yellow butterfly, red dragonfly, and more
Arriving Fish: Yellow perch, dab
Leaving Fish: Snapping turtle, catfish, and more
Arriving Sea Creatures: Seaweed, spiny lobster
Leaving Sea Creatures: Giant isopod, spotted garden eel
Southern Hemisphere
Arriving Bugs: Common bluebottle, agrias butterfly, and more
Leaving Bugs: Tarantula
Arriving Fish: Killifish, crawfish, and more
Leaving Fish: Dab, tuna, blue marlin
Arriving Sea Creatures: Sea pineapple
Leaving Sea Creatures: Sea cucumber, snow crab, spider crab
7. October Island Changes & Shop Updates
Buildings will feature special Halloween decorations. Resident Services will look particularly festive, with characters like Isabelle and Tom Nook dressed for Halloween. Explore the island to see other characters in costume!
Throughout October, Nook's Cranny and the Able Sisters will get Halloween updates. Nook's Cranny will feature spooky pumpkins and sell candy daily, which you'll need for Halloween. Remember, you can only buy one piece of candy per day. The Able Sisters will offer Halloween costumes, so check them out to celebrate in style.
