by This is the second Friday the 13th in a row… Horror fans LOVE it… but how often does it happen?
The Gregorian calendar repeats its weekday pattern every 28 years (as long as you stay away from century leap-year exceptions like 2100). That means the exact same calendar days fall on the same weekdays again 28 years later.
So if a year has a Friday the 13th in certain months, the same months will have Friday the 13ths 28 years later.
Example pattern
Look at these years:
| Year | Friday the 13ths |
|---|---|
| 1970 | Feb, Mar, Nov |
| 1998 | Feb, Mar, Nov |
| 2026 | Feb, Mar, Nov |
| 2054 | Feb, Mar, Nov |
Each is exactly 28 years apart, and the pattern repeats.
Friday the 13th Repeats – Why It Works
The calendar shifts:
- 1 weekday forward each normal year
- 2 weekdays forward after leap years
Over 28 years, the total shift equals exactly 7 weeks, which lands every date back on the same weekday.
Another Creepy Trivia Fact
Every year has at least one Friday the 13th, but never more than three.
The months that can contain them are limited to these seven:
- February
- March
- April
- May
- June
- August
- November
The Weirdest Stat
The 13th day of a month is more likely to fall on a Friday than any other weekday.
Over the long term:
- Friday: 688 times per 400 years
- Any other weekday: 684 times
So technically… Friday the 13th is the most common 13th.
