Fortnite Winterfest 2020: When it starts and everything else we know

With Fortnite season 5 proving to be a hit despite a distinct lack of Marvel characters, many players are wondering what Epic will pull off for the annual winter event: 14 Days of Fortnite, otherwise known as Winterfest 2020.

Previous years have seen Winterfest dole out free gifts for players who logged in throughout the event, new game modes, and new challenges to complete. It's usually a hit with players and a good chance to get some new cosmetics. Much like the real Christmas, we can hardly wait for it, and we're looking for any leaks or hints as to what the holiday will bring.

When does Fortnite Winterfest 2020 start?

In 2019, Epic started Fortnite Winterfest on December 18 and ran it until January 6. So it typically doesn't line up to end with the holiday itself, but at least that means you'll get to have about two weeks after Christmas to wrap up any challenges, earn some news skins, and play with friends.

Keep in mind, Epic will probably release an update for Fortnite sometime shortly before the event starts. So if you want to hop in immediately with friends, keep an eye on when they say their update goes live.

Our best guess is that Epic starts Winterfest 2020 around December 17 through January 8. Keep in mind that they haven't confirmed anything yet, though.

Fortnite Winterfest skins and event details

Of course, it's not an event without some new stuff to do. 14 Days of Fortnite/Winterfest is a great chance to play some fun LTMS and mini-games with friends, and season 5's new map could make for some interesting matches if Epic changes things up with some snowfall.

Thanks to longtime Fortnite data miner HYPEX, we know that a snowman NPC may be added to the season 5 map. Season 5 featured NPCs who allowed players to hit them up for valuable bounties on other players, challenges, or exotic weapons. According to HYPEX, this snowman NPC will grant you similar quests and/or explode. A little variety never hurt, I guess?

Data miner ShiinaBR also uncovered a look at the Snowmando skin. It's possible Snowmando will be the snowman NPC, considering all other NPCs are just Fortnite skins. According to Shiina, a line of code suggests that Snowmando may be a free skin during Winterfest 2020.

Something I didn't notice until now: Snowmando does NOT have an Item Shop tag! ????This may be a bit far-fetched, but could this mean that he could be a free skin of this year's 14 Days of Fortnite (Winterfest)? pic.twitter.com/NAvxhW6Tg9December 5, 2020

HYPEX also uncovered the coming addition of a "snowy flopper" fish that will heal 15 health per use.

Upcoming/Available Floppers:- Rift Flopper > max stack 2- Snowy Flopper (Snowman?) > heals 15 & max stack 3- Zero Point Flopper > heals 15 & max stack 5December 2, 2020

Epic has recently said that there will be no in-person Fortnite events, so holiday events like Winterfest will almost certainly be one of your only chances to hang out with friends outside of normal matches.

We'll be updating this post with any new information about Fortnite's holiday event, so make sure to check back later. Don't forget to check out the rest of our Fortnite guides and news, where you can find guides for all the latest challenges and quests.