Advent Calendars to Watch in 2026: Pre-Orders, Early Buys and Everything Confirmed So Far
It is April 2026. The last door of 2025 has been opened, the calendars have been recycled, and some people have already pre-ordered their December. This is not unusual behaviour if you have been reading this site for any length of time. We are those people too.
The 2026 advent calendar season is taking shape. There are confirmed pre-orders live now, established favourites expected to return, and some market movements worth knowing about before September arrives and everything becomes urgent. Here is what we know so far.
Confirmed Pre-Orders: Buy Now
Taskmaster Advent Calendar 2026 (Volume 2)
Status: Confirmed pre-order — available now
Price: To be confirmed — check taskmasterstore.com for the current price
Where to buy: Taskmaster Store | Puzzle Post
Ships: September 2026
If you bought the first Taskmaster Advent Calendar and spent December arguing with yourself about what technically qualifies as a hat before realising the answer had been in door three all along: this one is for you.
Volume 2 is an entirely new set of tasks, puzzles, physical props, and secret reveals. The format is the same: each day’s task tells you which door to open the following day, so the order matters and the structure compounds as December builds. Exclusive online elements are included, along with free wrapping paper for anyone who pre-orders.
The 2025 edition sold out during pre-orders. The 2026 edition opened early specifically to give more people a chance to get one, which tells you everything you need to know about demand. The UK edition ships from September 2026.
Pre-order now and forget about it until September. Pre-order at Taskmaster Store | Pre-order at Puzzle Post
NeeDoh Squishmas Advent Calendar 2026
Status: Confirmed pre-order — available now
Where to buy: Showcase — UK stockist to be confirmed
Design reveal: August 2026
Twenty-four mini squishy fidget surprises, each one different, each one extremely satisfying to squeeze at the end of a long December day. NeeDoh’s advent calendar is one of those crossover picks that genuinely works for children, teenagers, and adults who absolutely bought it for themselves and are not discussing it further.
The 2026 design is not yet revealed (August is the expected date), which means pre-ordering now is a trust exercise. Given NeeDoh’s track record, that trust seems reasonably well placed. Pre-orders are live with a 20% discount before the design is announced. Pre-order at Showcase — UK stockist to be confirmed once announced.
What We’re Watching Closely
LEGO 2026 Advent Calendars
LEGO’s 2026 advent range is the one piece of the puzzle most likely to affect households who have relied on a specific format year after year. Two of the most popular formats — Harry Potter and Minecraft — are both rumoured to be taking a year off in 2026. In their place, LEGO Marvel is tipped for a calendar debut (set number 76340 is widely cited).
What this means in practice: if LEGO Harry Potter or Minecraft has been an annual fixture in your house, plan ahead this year rather than assuming it will be there in September.
LEGO City and LEGO Friends are expected to continue in their usual form. Star Wars details are not yet confirmed. We will update the moment the full 2026 LEGO calendar range is officially announced — that typically happens in the spring.
Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar 2026
Liberty has not confirmed the 2026 calendar yet, and they will not for some time. They typically open the waitlist in September. But the 2025 edition — thirty products (twenty full size), eight new brands, twenty-six exclusives, contents worth over £1,245 at £275 — sold out within hours. The strategy for 2026 is simple: join the Liberty mailing list now, register for the waitlist the moment it opens in August or September, and be ready to act immediately.
We will publish a full Liberty 2026 preview the moment confirmed details emerge. In the meantime, our complete review of the 2025 Liberty calendar is the best reference for what to expect. Shop at Liberty London
The Beauty Calendars to Get on Waitlists For
In 2025, every major premium beauty calendar sold out before the end of the season. That pattern will repeat in 2026. The ones worth registering for now:
| Calendar | Typical launch | Action now |
|---|---|---|
| Liberty Beauty | October | Join mailing list; register for waitlist in September |
| Harrods Beauty | September/October | Register for Harrods updates |
| Selfridges Beauty | October | Sign up to Selfridges Beauty newsletter |
| Harvey Nichols Beauty | September | Register for Harvey Nichols alerts |
| Space NK | October | Join Space NK waitlist when it opens |
| Cult Beauty Limited Edition | October | On-site notification; moves very fast |
| Charlotte Tilbury | October | Sign up to Charlotte Tilbury newsletter |
The safe window is August to September. Waiting until October means waiting lists and disappointment. Waiting until November means looking at sold-out pages.
Food and Drink: What’s Expected Back
Most food and drink advent calendars return annually with minimal variation. Hotel Chocolat, Fortnum and Mason, Paxton and Whitfield, Virgin Wines, and The Whisky Exchange are all expected to offer 2026 editions based on consistent track records. None have confirmed pricing or contents at this stage.
One worth watching: the craft gin and spirits category. The Fever-Tree Gin and Tonic calendar and The Whisky Exchange’s 25 Whiskies of the World were among the strongest offerings of 2025 in their respective categories. Expect both to return.
One Important Note on Research
Part of tracking 2026 advent calendars involves verifying that products described as “advent calendars” are actually advent calendars. We checked several items flagged as possible 2026 entries and removed two after verification:
Squishmallows: The widely listed “Squishmallows Calendar 2026” sold by Calendar Club UK and similar retailers is a standard twelve-month wall calendar for date-tracking, published by Danilo. It is not a 24-door toy advent calendar. If you are looking for a Squishmallows advent product specifically, search for “Squishmallows Squish-a-longs Advent Calendar” — that is the separate toy format.
Howl’s Moving Castle: There is no official Studio Ghibli-licensed 24-day advent calendar for Howl’s Moving Castle. The “Perpetual Calendar” (a highly collectible rotating date block shaped like the castle) is a genuine product. Third-party sellers use similar names and imagery to market unlicensed products. We do not list unlicensed merchandise, and any product in this space should be verified against the official Studio Ghibli store before purchase.
This kind of checking is part of how this site works. We would rather flag something as unconfirmed than recommend a product that turns out to be a wall calendar or a low-quality knockoff.
For the Full 2025 Picture
Before planning your 2026 advent calendar strategy, it helps to know what 2025 delivered. Our Best Advent Calendars 2025 year in review covers every category — beauty, food and drink, alcohol, luxury, kids, and wellness — and is the best reference for understanding what the market typically produces and what price points to plan around.
