A little reason to celebrate
National Science Fiction Day
Hobby ยท January 2
A day for science fiction, the genre of stories that ask what happens next, from robots and starships to strange futures close to home.
National Science Fiction Day falls on Saturday, January 2, 2027. That is 67 days away.
Science fiction is storytelling built on a question: what if? What if people lived on Mars, machines could think, or a single invention changed how everyone talks to each other? The genre takes an idea about science or technology and follows it to see where it leads.
It comes in many shapes. Some stories are huge, with fleets crossing galaxies and empires rising over centuries of invented history. Others stay small and close, a family adjusting to a new gadget or a town where one rule of nature works differently. The best of both kinds tend to be less about the hardware than about people deciding what to do with it.
Fans mark the day by returning to old favorites or finally starting the one everyone keeps recommending. Novels and short story collections are the traditional route, and libraries usually have deep shelves of both. Films and television series count too, as do comics, audio dramas and games. A short story is a good entry point for anyone new to the genre, since it can deliver a whole strange world in an afternoon.
One pleasure of older science fiction is checking how its guesses held up. Some predicted futures look quaint now, with clunky computers and very confident rockets. Others described things that later became ordinary, like pocket-sized communicators and screens that talk back.
A dog-eared paperback with a spaceship on the cover still has a way of making a quiet evening feel larger.
Ways to celebrate
- Read a science fiction short story you have never tried before.
- Borrow a classic science fiction novel from your local library.
- Watch a favorite science fiction film with friends or family.
- Share a book recommendation with someone new to the genre.
- Write a one-page story that starts with a single what-if question.
Dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Friday, January 2 |
| 2027 | Saturday, January 2 |
| 2028 | Sunday, January 2 |
| 2029 | Tuesday, January 2 |
| 2030 | Wednesday, January 2 |
All national days on January 2
Also on January 2
Categories: Hobby days