When is National Taco Day?
National Taco Day 2026 is on Tuesday
Tuesday, October 6, 2026
The first Tuesday in October. That's tomorrow.
until National Taco Day begins, in your time zone
National Taco Day is an informal US food holiday celebrating the taco, from Mexico City street stands to Southwestern home kitchens. Since 2024 it has fallen on the first Tuesday of October, so it always lands on a Taco Tuesday.
About National Taco Day
National Taco Day celebrates a dish with deep Mexican roots and a long life north of the border. Historian Jeffrey M. Pilcher, interviewed by Smithsonian magazine in 2012, said the taco's origins are unknown but traced the word's food sense to 18th-century Mexican silver mines, where a taco was a paper-wrapped gunpowder charge. He found the first archive and dictionary references to tacos as food in the late 1800s, among them tacos de minero, or miner's tacos, and the earliest US newspaper mention he had seen in 1905.
The day itself has no documented founder and no official status. For years it was kept on October 4. Taco Bell said in a 2024 release that the October 4 date was labeled National Taco Day in 2009 and became a fixture on the National Day Calendar, a private registry of food and fun days, in 2013.
In September 2024, Taco Bell and National Day Calendar founder Marlo Anderson announced that the day would move to the first Tuesday in October, starting that year. The change followed the chain's 2023 campaign to cancel the 'Taco Tuesday' trademark, which it said was relinquished in all 50 states that October. Anderson said fans had asked for years why the day was not on a Tuesday. Because the shift is recent, some calendars and older articles still give October 4.
Sources: FOX News via FOX 7 Austin: Why National Taco Day will always align with 'Taco Tuesday' (2024), Smithsonian Magazine: Where Did the Taco Come From? (2012). How we check dates.
How to mark National Taco Day
- Make corn tortillas from masa harina and fill them simply: grilled meat or mushrooms, onion, cilantro and salsa.
- Visit a family-run taqueria or taco truck in your area and order something you haven't tried, such as al pastor, barbacoa or fish tacos.
- Set up a taco bar at home or work with homemade salsas and pickled onions.
- Read about the taco's history in Mexico and how Mexican American cooks reshaped it in the US Southwest.
- Try a regional style from Mexico, such as tacos de canasta or birria, using a recipe from a Mexican cook.
National Taco Day dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Tuesday, October 7, 2025 |
| 2026 | Tuesday, October 6, 2026 |
| 2027 | Tuesday, October 5, 2027 |
| 2028 | Tuesday, October 3, 2028 |
| 2029 | Tuesday, October 2, 2029 |
| 2030 | Tuesday, October 1, 2030 |
| 2031 | Tuesday, October 7, 2031 |
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Frequently asked questions
When is National Taco Day 2026?
National Taco Day 2026 is on Tuesday, October 6, 2026. It falls on the first Tuesday in October. In 2027, it is on Tuesday, October 5, 2027.
Why did National Taco Day move from October 4?
In 2024 the National Day Calendar and Taco Bell moved it to the first Tuesday in October so it always falls on a Taco Tuesday. The move came after Taco Bell's 2023 campaign to free the 'Taco Tuesday' phrase from trademark.
Where does the taco come from?
Tacos come from Mexico, though their exact origin is unknown. Historian Jeffrey Pilcher links the word to 18th-century silver mines and finds the first written references to tacos as food in the late 19th century.
Is National Taco Day a public holiday?
No. National Taco Day is an observance, not a public holiday, so schools, banks, government offices and most businesses keep their normal hours.