The sports equinox happening on October 28, 2024, will be the 31st in history. But what is it?
It may not be a traditional sports holiday like everything you need to know about the “sports equinox.”
What is a sports equinox?
The sports equinox occurs when MLB, the NFL, the NBA and the NHL all hold games on the same day.
While the celebration centers around the “Big Four” leagues, other sports can also get involved, too.
From opening night on October 20 to the NBA Finals in June, here are the key dates to know for the 2026–27 season.
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How many sports equinoxes have there been?
Monday will be the 33rd sports equinox in history.
The first one occurred on Oct. 17, 1971, with a World Series Game 7, 12 NFL games, three NBA games and six NHL games. Nine sports equinoxes occurred between 1971 and 1980, another fell on Oct. 27, 1985, and then it was 16 more years before another one happened again on Nov. 4, 2001. There has been at least one sports equinox every year since 2015, including three in 2022, one in 2023, one in 2024 and one in 2025.
There is a small window where a sports equinox can occur. The NBA and NHL seasons traditionally begin in mid-to-late October, right as the MLB postseason is coming to a close, though puck drop for the 2026-27 NHL season actually began in September. Still, because of those schedules, 29 of the 32 sports equinoxes in history have occurred between Oct. 12 and Nov. 4 in their given year.
The only sports equinoxes that fell outside of that window occurred in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the MLB, NBA and NHL seasons and created a busy September. The year featured sports equinoxes on Sept. 10, 13 and 17 with regular season games for the NFL and MLB, along with postseason matchups in the NBA and NHL.
Oct. 26 sports equinox schedule
Monday’s sports equinox will include Game 3 of the World Series, Monday Night Football, nine NBA matchups and three NHL tilts:
- World Series Game 3: Brewers vs. Rays, 8 p.m. ET
