About April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day falls on April 1 — the one day a year when headlines, product launches and your group chats cannot be trusted. The countdown above tells you exactly how long you have to prepare your pranks (or your skepticism).
The tradition is centuries old — possibly born from 16th-century French calendar reform confusion — and history's greatest hoaxes have aged beautifully: the BBC's 1957 spaghetti-tree harvest, Taco Bell "buying" the Liberty Bell, Google's annual barrage of fake products. Pro etiquette: in many countries, pranks are only allowed until noon.
Upcoming dates
| 2027 | Thursday, April 1, 2027next |
| 2028 | Saturday, April 1, 2028 |
| 2029 | Sunday, April 1, 2029 |
| 2030 | Monday, April 1, 2030 |
| 2031 | Tuesday, April 1, 2031 |
FAQ
When is April Fools' Day?
April 1 every year — no, that is not a joke.
Where does April Fools come from?
Uncertain — the leading theory ties it to 1500s France, when New Year moved from April to January and the uninformed became "April fools."
What was the greatest April Fools hoax?
The BBC's 1957 Panorama segment on the Swiss spaghetti harvest is the classic — viewers called in asking how to grow their own spaghetti tree.