Animal Crossing | Snorkel Mask - What Does It Do & Colors

Check out this guide on Tanabata in Animal Crossing New Horizons (ACNH). Learn about Tanabata, or Starcrossed Day in past games, bamboo grass, and if there is Tanabata this year!!!

Table of Contents

What Is Tanabata?
Tanabata In Past Games

Check Out All Other Events Here

Will There Be Tanabata This Year?

No Tanabata This Year

Starcrossed Day, or Tanabata as it's known in Japanese, is a special event that occurred in previous Animal Crossing games. However, in New Horizons, it doesn't seem that any special event will be taking place this year.

▲ Our reaction when we changed time to July 7th and found out Tanabata was cancelled

Purchase Bamboo Grass

Even though there's no official event, you can still purchase Bamboo Grass from the Nook Stop for a limited time. You won't be able to purchase it after July 31st so be careful!

Read A Piece Of Tanzaku

Click to Enlarge

By placing Bamboo Grass and interacting with it, you can read a piece of Tanzaku hanging on the bamboo. Tanzaku are small pieces of paper upon which people write their wishes.

Don A Yukata

The fun of Tanabata lies in putting on fancy traditional Japanese clothing and walking around, enjoying the summer night scenery. We've assembled a list of Yukata and Kimono you can wear to celebrate this event!

> Check Out Kimono/Yukata QR Codes Here

Your Wishes Come True?

During Tanabata, people write wishes on a piece of paper and tie it to a bamboo tree, hoping that they come true. Tanabata is also referred to as the star festival, so perhaps there might be Shooting Stars as well?

Based On A Real Japanese Celebration

Tanabata is based on a real Japanese cultural event, which takes place every year on the 7th of July. The lack of cultural awareness of this holiday in the west may be the reason why the event was limited to Japanese-language Animal Crossing games in the past.

Honors The Star-Crossed Lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi

The legend behind this holiday is that Orihime and Hikoboshi, two lovers, are only able to see each other on one day of the year when their stars align. That day happens to be July 7th.

Tanabata In Past Games

The information below is from New Leaf.

Small-Scale Event In New Leaf

Tanabata was not a major event in New Leaf, but it did introduce some items you could buy at shops. It was possible to purchase Bamboo Grass and use it to decorate your home. Isabelle also had some special dialogue related to it which players could read.

English-Language Players Could Also Experience The Event

We mentioned above that Tanabata was limited to Japanese versions of the game, but in actuality anyone could experience it by going to the island of a Japanese-version player during the event! Perhaps something similar will be possible in New Horizons?