The Strawberry Moon will soon illuminate the night sky, but don’t expect the moon to look like an actual fruit.
It will be the first full moon of summer because it occurs after the summer solstice, which was on Sunday, June 21.
Strawberry Moon will appear on June 29, 2026. Moon will reach peak illumination on June 29 at 7:56 P.M. Eastern Time.
The Full Moon names used for Full Moons, as popularized by The Old Farmer’s Almanac, come from a variety of cultural sources including Native American, Colonial American, and European traditions. Historically, these names helped people track seasonal changes, while today they are often viewed as symbolic nicknames.
The June Full Moon, which usually appears as the last Full Moon of spring or the first of summer, is commonly known as the Strawberry Moon. Despite its name, it has nothing to do with the Moon’s color or shape.
The name comes from Native American Algonquian tribes in the northeastern United States, as well as the Ojibwe, Dakota, and Lakota peoples, who used it to mark the short season when wild strawberries ripen and are ready to be harvested. The Haida people also refer to it as the “Berries Ripen Moon,” reflecting the same seasonal meaning.
While the Moon can sometimes appear reddish when it is low on the horizon due to atmospheric effects, this has no connection to its traditional naming. The Strawberry Moon instead represents a time of seasonal abundance when flowers bloom and early fruits are harvested.
