Girl Scout Cookie season usually starts in early January and runs through about April , but the exact start date depends on your local council and where you live. For 2026, the national season is noted as beginning around January 6 , with councils opening sales on their own schedules.

Quick Scoop: When Sales Start

  • National Girl Scout Cookie Season kicks off in early January each year, with 2026 messaging pointing to January 6 as the official national start.
  • Local councils control their own calendars, so some areas may open ordering right at the start of January, while others open a bit later in the month or into February.
  • Sales typically wrap up in March or early April, so the peak “cookie table outside the grocery store” time is late winter into early spring.

How To Find Your Exact Start Date

  • Use the official Girl Scouts Cookie Finder tool: enter your ZIP code on the Girl Scouts cookie page and it will show booth times and ordering windows for your area.
  • If your council hasn’t opened yet, the finder will display a countdown to when your local season starts.
  • You can often also order online for direct shipping once national season is live, even if local booths haven’t popped up yet.

2026 Season Flavor Buzz

  • 2026 features a new cookie called Exploremores , a rocky-road–inspired sandwich cookie with chocolate, marshmallow, and toasted almond–flavored crème.
  • Classics like Thin Mints, Samoas/Caramel deLites, and Peanut Butter Patties/Tagalongs are still in the lineup alongside newer options like Adventurefuls.
  • Some older varieties such as Toast-Yay! and S’mores have been retired to make room for the new flavor.

Timing Details From A Sample Council

  • A 2026 cookie calendar from one council shows initial orders and online “Digital Cookie” opening on January 1 , with cookie deliveries and booth sales ramping up in February.
  • In that council, local booths begin in mid-February, with all booth sales running from late February into March before the sale ends mid-March.
  • This illustrates how the exact calendar is local , even though the broad window is early January through March/April.

Bottom Line

If you’re wondering “when do they start selling Girl Scout cookies” where you are, the most reliable move is:

  1. Go to the official Girl Scouts cookie buying page.
  2. Enter your ZIP code into the Cookie Finder.
  3. Check the listed booth dates, online ordering window, and any countdown for your council.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.