Assuming a key-value of `date: 2017-03-03` in a content file's front matter, your can run the date through `.Format` followed by a layout string for your desired output at build time:
```
{{ .PublishDate.Format "January 2, 2006" }} => March 3, 2017
For formatting *any* string representations of dates defined in your front matter, see the [`dateFormat` function][dateFormat], which will still leverage the Go layout string explained below but uses a slightly different syntax.
Hugo templates [format your dates][time] via layout strings that point to a specific reference time:
```
Mon Jan 2 15:04:05 MST 2006
```
While this may seem arbitrary, the numerical value of `MST` is `07`, thus making the layout string a sequence of numbers.
Here is a visual explanation [taken directly from the Go docs][gdex]:
```
Jan 2 15:04:05 2006 MST
=> 1 2 3 4 5 6 -7
```
### Hugo Date and Time Templating Reference
The following examples show the layout string followed by the rendered output.
The examples were rendered and tested in [CST][] and all point to the same field in a content file's front matter:
```
date: 2017-03-03T14:15:59-06:00
```
`.Date` (i.e. called via [page variable][pagevars])
: **Returns**: `2017-03-03 14:15:59 -0600 CST`
`"Monday, January 2, 2006"`
: **Returns**: `Friday, March 3, 2017`
`"Mon Jan 2 2006"`
: **Returns**: `Fri Mar 3 2017`
`"January 2006"`
: **Returns**: `March 2017`
`"2006-01-02"`
: **Returns**: `2017-03-03`
`"Monday"`
: **Returns**: `Friday`
`"02 Jan 06 15:04 MST"` (RFC822)
: **Returns**: `03 Mar 17 14:15 CST`
`"02 Jan 06 15:04 -0700"` (RFC822Z)
: **Returns**: `03 Mar 17 14:15 -0600`
`"Mon, 02 Jan 2006 15:04:05 MST"` (RFC1123)
: **Returns**: `Fri, 03 Mar 2017 14:15:59 CST`
`"Mon, 02 Jan 2006 15:04:05 -0700"` (RFC339)
: **Returns**: `Fri, 03 Mar 2017 14:15:59 -0600`
### Cardinal Numbers and Ordinal Abbreviations
Spelled-out cardinal numbers (e.g. "one", "two", and "three") and ordinal abbreviations (i.e., with shorted suffixes like "1st", "2nd", and "3rd") are not currently supported:
```
{{.Date.Format "Jan 2nd 2006"}}
```
Hugo assumes you want to append `nd` as a string to the day of the month and outputs the following:
```
Mar 3nd 2017
```
<!-- Content idea: see https://discourse.gohugo.io/t/formatting-a-date-with-suffix-2nd/5701 -->
### Use `.Local` and `.UTC`
In conjunction with the [`dateFormat` function][dateFormat], you can also convert your dates to `UTC` or to local timezones:
`{{ dateFormat "02 Jan 06 15:04 MST" .Date.UTC }}`
: **Returns**: `03 Mar 17 20:15 UTC`
`{{ dateFormat "02 Jan 06 15:04 MST" .Date.Local }}`
