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to be held in Mills Park, Bryant, AR.
Go Outside and Play
ARRL Field Day 2026 will be held June 27-28. This annual event, held the fourth weekend in June, is traditionally a great time to get on the air from parks, campgrounds, historic sites, and other places — mostly outdoors, which is why the event is called Field Day! The temporary, outdoor, battery-and-generator-powered setups that are a hallmark of Field Day present an extra challenge for hams who may be used to getting on the air from their home stations.
It's Not a Contest, But..
Though ARRL Field Day is not officially a contest, some hams treat it like a friendly competition — clubs vie to make the most contacts, and some hams compete with themselves to try to do better than they did last year.
It's Emergency Training
Other ham groups use ARRL Field Day to practice their emergency response capabilities, Ham radio has been called into action again and again to provide communications support in crises. Hams also use these skills to help with events such as marathons, parades, and other planned, non-emergency activities.
It's Outreach
Traditionally, ARRL Field Day is an opportunity for radio amateurs to show the public all the things ham radio does. We like to think of it as an "open house' where non-hams can learn about amateur radio.
It's Fun
No matter what your radio-based goals are for ARRL Field Day, the event is always fun. A traditional Field Day brings radio amateurs together for a weekend of teamwork, skill building, and time spent with old and new friends — both in person and on the air. Many ham groups organize cookouts, games, and other activities to make their Field Day operations even more fun. For many radio clubs, ARRL Field Day is a highlight of their year.
Field Day is an annual amateur radio contest, widely sponsored by IARU regions and member organizations, encouraging emergency communications preparedness among amateur radio operators. In the United States, it is typically the largest single emergency preparedness exercise in the country, with over 30,000 operators participating each year. Field Day is always the fourth full weekend of June, beginning at 18:00 UTC Saturday and running through 20:59 UTC Sunday.
Since the first ARRL Field Day in 1933, radio amateurs throughout North America have practiced the rapid deployment of radio communications equipment in environments ranging from operations under tents in remote areas to operations inside Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs). Operations using emergency and alternative power sources are highly encouraged, since electricity and other public infrastructures are often among the first to fail during a natural disaster or severe weather.
To determine the effectiveness of the exercise and of each participant's operations, there is an integrated competitive component, and many clubs also engage in concurrent leisure activities (e.g., camping, cookouts). Operations typically last a continuous twenty-four hours, requiring scheduled relief operators to keep stations on the air. Additional contest points are awarded for experimenting with unusual modes, making contacts via satellite, and involving youth in the activity.