The annual WoW Anniversary event normally ends about three weeks after it starts: it opens in mid-November around the game's 23 November birthday and closes in early December. The much longer 20th Anniversary Celebration was the exception, running from late October 2024 into early January 2025. The exact end date for the current year is always listed in the in-game calendar.
Anniversary end dates at a glance
| Event | Window | Status |
| Yearly Anniversary event | Mid-November to early December (about three weeks) | Repeats every year |
| 20th Anniversary Celebration | Late October 2024 to early January 2025 | Ended |
| 22nd Anniversary (2026) | Expected to start mid-November 2026 | Not yet live |
| Classic 20th Anniversary realms | Permanent progression realms, launched November 2024 | Still running |
- WoW launched on 23 November 2004, so every anniversary event is anchored to that week.
- Open the in-game calendar and click the Anniversary entry: the tooltip shows the precise start and end time for your region.
- The event ends at the daily reset on its final day, not at midnight, so your last chance to turn in quests is the morning of that date (server time).
- The Celebration Package buff, the Historian quests and any anniversary-only vendors disappear the moment the event closes.
Did the 20th Anniversary event already end?
Yes. The 20th Anniversary Celebration was a one-off, oversized version of the event that opened in late October 2024 and closed in the first week of January 2025. It was the only anniversary to run across the New Year, which is why so many players are still confused about the usual dates.
Its event-only currency and the vendor rewards tied to it left with it. Anything you did not buy before the closing reset is no longer purchasable, although Blizzard has historically brought some anniversary rewards back in later years, so keep an eye on the November announcements.
Are the Classic 20th Anniversary realms ending too?
No. The Classic 20th Anniversary realms are a separate thing from the retail holiday. They launched in November 2024 as fresh progression servers and were never tied to the event's end date. They have since moved forward through their content phases into the Burning Crusade era, and there is no announced shutdown.
If your search was really about those realms, the short version is: your characters, gold and PvP progress there are not going anywhere when the November event ends.
What do you lose when the anniversary ends?
The Celebration Package experience and reputation buff switches off, which matters if you were using it to push alts. The Historian quest chain and its turn-ins vanish until next year. Anniversary world bosses and any event-specific Timewalking or battleground rotations also rotate out. Mounts, pets and toys you already learned stay with you permanently.
When is the next WoW anniversary?
The game turns 22 on 23 November 2026. Based on every previous year, expect the event to go live in the second or third week of November and close in early December. Blizzard usually confirms the exact window a week or two beforehand, and the in-game calendar updates at the same time.
If you would rather not grind the anniversary or Classic realm content alone, PewPewShop's vetted human players offer coaching and play-together progression help, including a Classic 20th Anniversary PvP ranking service from EUR 499.99 for players chasing a high honor rank before the season moves on.