March 2028: spring starts on a Monday
March 2028 has arrived on a Wednesday and is already earning its keep. The month runs 31 days, from Wednesday 1 March to Friday 31 March. It is the first quarter's heaviest stretch of work: 23 business days against 8 weekend days. The equinox falls on Monday 20 March. Spring starts on a working week up north; the south begins its autumn on the same Monday. The full moon got there first on Saturday 11 March. Two Sundays still hold clock changes, and the month ends the quarter on a Friday.
Twenty-three business days
The month spans ISO weeks 9 to 13 and closes the quarter on Friday 31 March. Its 23 business days lead the first quarter. January and February managed 21 apiece. Weekend days hold to 8.
Wednesdays run on the 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th. Thursdays follow on the 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th. Fridays land on the 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th and 31st, so deadline days come in bunches this month.
Three weekdays at five each is the signature of a 31-day month that begins midweek. The working week bulks up; the weekend stays lean.
Clocks split, seasons turn
The United States moves its clocks forward on Sunday 12 March, at 2 a.m. local time. The United Kingdom and most of Europe follow on Sunday 26 March at 01:00 UTC. The equinox sits neatly between them on Monday 20 March.
For the fortnight between the two changes, the time-zone gap across the Atlantic widens by an hour. Every cross-ocean meeting time gets checked twice. The dates are statutory: the second Sunday in March there, the last Sunday here.
The moon keeps to the background. First quarter arrives on Saturday 4 March and the full moon on Saturday 11 March. Last quarter follows on Friday 17 March. The new moon lands on Sunday 26 March, the same morning the clocks jump.
March decides the summer field
Euro 2028's qualifying play-offs run in late March, with matchdays still to be confirmed. Eight teams contest the last four places in single-leg semi-finals and finals. England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland host the tournament from Friday 9 June. For the first time at a Euro, the hosts must qualify on merit.
So any of the four could find itself in the play-offs, and plenty of March evenings turn suddenly important. The tournament itself runs 9 June to 9 July.
Across the Atlantic, college basketball builds its March bracket toward a first. The men's Final Four plays at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Semi-finals fall on Saturday 1 April. The final follows on Monday 3 April. The opening rounds play at Dayton and Wichita in mid-March, on dates still to be confirmed.
The quarter ends on Friday 31 March with the summer field settled and the clocks agreed. April opens on a Saturday and goes gently: 20 business days, the half's lightest.