You don’t have to be a kid to find magic in the holiday season. Whether you’re excited for cozy winter activities and decorations or just relieved to have survived finals, there’s lots to celebrate near the end of the year. So, with 2026 peeping right around the corner, it’s time to get into the festive mood — not just IRL, but of course on social media, too. As you begin picking out your New Year’s Eve OOTN, finalize your ins and outs for 2026, and post fire pics from your winter break photo shoot, don’t forget to take advantage of Instagram’s seasonal Easter eggs.
Whether you enjoyed Instagram’s New Year’s Easter eggs last year, or are using them for the first time heading into 2026, there’s lots to look forward to. But, since they’re Easter eggs, you might not know where to find them! For example, did you know Instagram already did a New Year’s feature drop on Dec. 12, when it launched Restyle New Year’s Effects? ICYMI, this feature lets app users replay and relive their 2025 highlights until the new year arrives.
But don’t worry, there’s more. Instagram is delivering the rest of the goods from Dec. 16 to Jan. 2, when users can expect a variety of additional thematic Easter eggs, including stickers, special effects, disappearing notes, and unique fonts. Here’s everything you need to know to use and enjoy Instagram’s New Year’s 2026 Easter eggs.
CUSTOM EOY “ADD YOURS” STICKERS
From Dec. 16 to Jan. 2, you can use specific end-of-year “Add Yours” Stories prompts to unlock a special color palette for your sticker.
NEW YEAR’S FONT AND TEXT EFFECTS
There’s also a special font and text effect from Dec. 16 to Jan. 2. By using this limited-time purple, glittery font, you can elevate your posts and Stories and make them feel super celebratory.
SECRET PHRASES IN STORY COMMENTS
From Dec. 30 to Jan. 2, commenting on a friend’s story with specific New Year’s-themed phrases and emojis will unlock a glitter effect. While the official phrases haven’t been released, try using seasonal phrases like “Happy New Year” or “cheers” to see if you can crack the code!
SECRET PHRASES IN NOTES
Another Easter egg having to do with secret phrases will come to your Notes section from Dec. 30 to Jan. 2. During this time, using phrases like “Cheers” and “hnye!” or a firework emoji in your note will unlock a surprise, celebratory notes design theme. Yay!