Here’s Why April 26 Is "Alien Day"

Wednesday, April 26 is “Alien Day,” an unofficial holiday for fans of the iconic space-horror franchise and a big promotional event for the studio behind the upcoming Alien: Covenant. This year will see the release of a new Alien VR experience, a Q&A session about Covenant, and the return of the original 1979 classic to select theaters. But why April 26 of all days? The answer is a fun little Easter egg — one that hopefully won’t hatch into a Facehugger.

Aliens, the 1986 action sequel to Ridley Scott’s original, takes place on a colonial moon known as Acheron. However, before it was given a proper name the moon was known as LV-426. Hence, Alien Day is on 4/26. The first official Alien Day was only last year to celebrate Aliens’s 30th anniversary, so it made sense.

For 2017’s Alien Day, though, the big event is probably the livestream, which you can catch over at Alien Universe starting at 1 p.m. Eastern. There will be a Q&A with the cast of Covenant along with exclusive footage from the upcoming movie. For more information about some of the minor Alien Day events, including merch revivals and details about Alien screenings, go to the website.

Alien: Covenant hits theaters on May 19.