October 20, 2026: What Day It Is, Today's Observances and Everything on the Calendar Through Halloween

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026 is the 293rd day of the year, with 72 days left in 2026. It falls in week 43 under the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) week system, which runs Monday to Sunday. It is not a federal or state holiday, so banks, post offices, schools and government offices keep normal hours. The next federal holiday is Veterans Day on Wednesday, Nov. 11.

Several international observances fall today, and the next 12 days are busy: two Social Security payment dates, the Hunter’s Moon, the World Series, Nevada Day, Halloween and the end of daylight saving time.

Today’s observances

• International Chefs Day, organized by the World Association of Chefs’ Societies (Worldchefs), celebrates the profession and teaching children about food.
• World Osteoporosis Day, run by the International Osteoporosis Foundation every Oct. 20, promotes bone health and early diagnosis.
• National Day on Writing, set by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) on Oct. 20 each year, invites people to share why they write.

What’s coming up through Nov. 1

Date	Day	What happens
Oct. 21	Wednesday	Social Security payments for birthdays on the 11th-20th; Orionid meteor shower peaks overnight
Oct. 22	Thursday	International Stuttering Awareness Day
Oct. 23	Friday	Mole Day, 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m.; World Series Game 1, 8 p.m. ET
Oct. 24	Saturday	United Nations Day; World Polio Day; Make A Difference Day; Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Prescription Drug Take Back Day, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Oct. 25	Sunday	Clocks go back one hour in the UK and the European Union
Oct. 26	Monday	Hunter’s Moon, full at 12:12 a.m. EDT (9:12 p.m. PDT on Oct. 25)
Oct. 28	Wednesday	Social Security payments for birthdays on the 21st-31st
Oct. 30	Friday	Nevada Day, a state holiday; November SSI payments arrive early
Oct. 31	Saturday	Halloween; Reformation Day; World Series Game 7, if needed
Nov. 1	Sunday	U.S. daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m.; Affordable Care Act (ACA) open enrollment begins

Payment dates

The Social Security Administration (SSA) pays most retirement, survivor and disability benefits on the second, third or fourth Wednesday of the month, depending on the beneficiary’s birthday. In October 2026, that means Oct. 14, Oct. 21 and Oct. 28. Supplemental Security Income (SSI), normally paid on the 1st, goes out on Friday, Oct. 30, because Nov. 1 is a Sunday. That is the November payment, not an extra one; there is no SSI deposit on Nov. 1. For next year’s amounts and dates, see our story on the 3.6% Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2027.

Saturday, Oct. 24: four observances

United Nations Day marks the day the UN Charter took effect in 1945. Rotary International holds World Polio Day on the same date to rally support for ending the disease. Points of Light’s Make A Difference Day, a national day of volunteering, falls on the fourth Saturday of October. The DEA runs its 31st National Prescription Drug Take Back Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time at collection sites nationwide, where unused medicines can be dropped off anonymously.

The Hunter’s Moon and the World Series

October’s full moon peaks at 12:12 a.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 26, which is Sunday evening in the Central, Mountain and Pacific time zones; our Hunter’s Moon guide has moonrise times by city. The Orionid meteor shower, debris from Halley’s Comet, peaks the night of Oct. 21-22; see our Orionid viewing guide.

The World Series opens Friday, Oct. 23, with games scheduled at 8 p.m. ET, according to Major League Baseball. A seventh game, if needed, would be played on Halloween.

Nevada Day and Halloween

Nevada Day, on the last Friday of October under state law, marks Nevada’s admission to the Union on Oct. 31, 1864. It is a state legal holiday, so Nevada state offices close on Friday, Oct. 30; check your school district’s calendar for classes.

Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, the last evening before the clocks change. Our Halloween 2026 guide lists sunset and full-darkness times by city.

Clocks change twice in a week

Britain and the European Union end summer time at 1 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time on Sunday, Oct. 25, so for one week New York is four hours behind London instead of five; see our story on the UK and Europe clock change. The U.S. follows on Sunday, Nov. 1, when sunsets move about an hour earlier; our sunset times by city shows the change. The same day, open enrollment for 2027 ACA marketplace plans begins; see our ACA open enrollment dates.

For the month ahead, see November 2026 important dates, and keep track on our October and November printable calendars or the 2026 US holiday list. Print the one-page list below.