Solana Alpenglow Activation Set for September 28, Validators Urged to Upgrade

The Solana network is set to activate its Alpenglow feature on September 28, 2026, according to the release schedule maintained by Anza. The activation of Alpenglow marks a significant milestone for the Solana ecosystem, and it's essential for validators and users to understand what this means for their SOL staking.

The release schedule outlines five key dates leading up to feature activation:

September 4: Mainnet-beta upgrade candidate marked on the v4.3 branch

September 8: Call for volunteers to move 10% of stake onto v4.3

September 14: Call for 25% of stake to be moved onto v4.3

September 21: General recommendation to switch to v4.3

September 28: Start of feature activation on mainnet-beta

The schedule aims to ensure a slow ramp-up before the cut-off date, with validators having time to adjust and prepare for the change.