10 In-Universe Star Trek Holidays (And When To Celebrate Them)

As we enter 2024, now is the perfect time to see what Trek-themed holidays await us in the new year.

We know that many modern holidays like Christmas, Halloween, and Diwali still exist into the 24th century and beyond, but there is also a truly impressive number of fictional holidays in Star Trek lore, celebrated by both Humans and aliens alike. Of course, a holiday can be celebrated in many different ways. It can have religious or historical significance, it can honour one important person, or it can just be an excuse to have fun with friends and family.

For this list, we're going to learn everything we can about the diverse fictional holidays from the many cultures of the Milky Way. Get ready for a year's worth of Star Trek celebrations, from the well-known to the obscure.

Zefram Cochrane's first warp flight on the 5th of April, 2063 is generally accepted as the most important event in human history. Passing Vulcans noticed his ship, The Phoenix, reaching warp one and decided that humanity was finally ready to learn of alien life. Realising they weren't alone in the universe inspired humanity to unite like never before and rebuild Earth society from the ashes of World War III.

April the fifth became First Contact Day to honour this monumental moment. Voyager celebrated the holiday in the episode Homestead, complete with some of Cochrane's favourite snacks and music. Seven years later, First Contact Day of 2385 was unfortunately ruined by the synth attack on Mars.

In real life, First Contact Day is observed as a special day to honour all things Star Trek (similar to Star Trek Day, the anniversary of the original show). Announcements, cast and crew panels, and reveals for new Trek content often come out on the 5th of April to celebrate.

First Contact Day is mostly observed by Humans, but some aliens have been known to participate in the festivities. The Terrans of the mirror universe also celebrated the fifth of April as the date they stole the visiting Vulcan ship and began their interstellar conquests.

Along with the annual holiday, first contact was also honoured with a theme park called Historical Bozeman, constructed around the Phoenix's original launch site in Bozeman Montana. We got to see the park in the Lower Decks episode Grounded, when the ensigns used the replica Phoenix ride to reach the Cerritos in space. Aside from the replica Phoenix. Historical Bozeman was also the site of the Zefram Cochrane statue Geordi mentioned in Star Trek: First Contact, as well as a T-shirt shop called Tee Trek, a Fun Zone in the shape of the Vulcan ship that first introduced themselves to Earth, a concession stand called Thirst Contact, and much more. It's likely that the park would be a pretty popular location for First Contact Day celebrations.