Kubernetes patch releases for January 2026 have been delayed

[Marko Mudrinić]

Dear Kubernetes community,

As previously discussed during the SIG Release meeting on December 11, 2025, we are delaying the January patch releases for one week. Given that the holiday period has just ended, this delay is intended to give everyone additional time to finalize their cherry-picks and have them reviewed.

The new cherry-pick deadline for the January patch releases is Friday, January 16, 2026. The patch releases are scheduled for Tuesday, January 20, 2026.

We apologize for the short notice and hope this delay does not cause any inconvenience.

Kind regards,

Marko Mudrinić

on behalf of Kubernetes Release Managers