The holiday season is officially upon us, which means there are plenty of new gaming events to look forward to. Most notably will be the return of Fortnite's Winterfest Event, which returns later this week to close out 2021.

Similar to previous years, Fortnite fans will be able to get their hands on new Christmas-themed skins, complete new challenges, unlock plenty of rewards, and more.

To get you ready for the Fortnite festivities, you can check out everything you need to know about the 2021 Winterfest Event below, including the release date, start time, and more.

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Fortnite Winterfest 2021 Start Time & Release Date

According to Epic Games, the official release date for the 2021 Fortnite Winterfest Event is Thursday, December 16th, 2021.

According to ShiinaBR, a trusted leaker and data miner within the Fortnite community, the start time for Winterfest 2021 is 6AM PT / 9AM ET / 2PM GMT.

These details are based on data mined files that indicate the start time for the event, but take the information with a pinch of salt as this has not been officially confirmed by Epic Games.

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Winterfest 2021 Details

We're still waiting for more official details from Epic Games surrounding the upcoming Fortnite event, but plenty of content creators have begun receiving special packages with the following note:

"The festivities kick off on December 16th with Sgt Winters barreling around the Island in his custom big rig, bringing 14 days of presents, frosty fresh items, special challenges, tons of new Creative experiences, and lots more."

Thanks to Fortnite leaker HYPEX, we've also got a look at some of the free skins and the return of the Winterfest Cabin arriving with the event. Check them out in the tweets below.