Taco Bell moves National Taco Day to Tuesday

For anyone who marks their calendars timed to food celebrations, Taco Bell has a new date for you to highlight in October that aligns perfectly with a delicious day of the week -- Taco Tuesday.

The California-based fast food chain announced Tuesday that this year, National Taco Day will fall on Oct. 1, three days earlier than in previous years, to ensure the food festivity aligns with the beloved weekly tradition of Taco Tuesday.

The permanent date change to the first Tuesday of October was set in motion by the fast food chain with the help of the National Day Calendar, the authoritative entity that curates national days, weeks, months and other tentpole events.

"For years, we've celebrated National Taco Day on October 4th, but it's always felt like there was a bigger opportunity to align it with something even more special -- Taco Tuesday," Marlo Anderson, founder of National Day Calendar, said in a press release. "Thanks to Taco Bell's efforts, we're excited to officially move National Taco Day to the first Tuesday in October, creating the Taco Tuesday of all Taco Tuesdays."

This marks the latest milestone in Taco Bell's ongoing Taco Tuesday journey, which included a petition that relinquished the trademark title in all 50 states last year.

Taco Bell's Chief Marketing Officer Taylor Montgomery said in a statement that after the brand "liberated Taco Tuesday last year ... we couldn't just stop there."

"With National Taco Day coming up, it felt unnatural for it to not fall on a Tuesday, and as some of the biggest advocates of Taco Tuesday out there, we knew we had to help shift the holiday permanently to give taco makers and lovers the opportunity to celebrate bigger and better every year," Montgomery said.

To celebrate the new date for National Taco Day, Taco Bell plans to host a "frenzy of Tuesday Drop celebrations" kicking off Oct. 1 that will roll out all month long.