Love Island Series 13 returns to television on Monday, 1 June at 9pm, with Maya Jama back on hosting duty as the long-running dating show heads into its latest summer run. Viewers can catch the launch on ITV2 and ITVX.
For fans searching when does love island start, the answer is now fixed: the new series begins that night, and the first episode lands in the peak-time slot the show has made its own. The timing matters because this is the 13th run of Love Island, and the return gives viewers a clear date to lock in before the first coupling, first kiss and first fallout.
ITV is sending the Islanders to Mallorca again, where the series will once more follow a fresh batch of singles as they try to pair off and stay in the villa. The broadcaster has said the new season will bring unexpected arrivals, shifting loyalties and sparks flying, a sign that the familiar format is being sold as a reset rather than a repeat.
The week will not look the same every night. Love Island does not air every evening, with episodes generally running from Sunday through Friday, while Saturday is set aside for Love Island: Unseen Bits with Iain Stirling at 10pm. That means anyone planning to follow every twist will need to keep one eye on the main show and another on the weekend extra.
The opening night is therefore the moment that matters most: Monday, 1 June at 9pm is when the series starts, and it is the date that answers the question viewers are already asking. A separate guide, When Does Love Island Start 2026? ITV sets June 1 return with first cast name, points to the same launch as the first real marker for the season ahead.
What remains unsaid is how long the 13th series will run, but the immediate countdown is over. The first Islanders step onto the screen on 1 June, and after that the pattern settles quickly into the familiar rhythm of nightly episodes, Saturday extras and whatever trouble the villa throws up next.
