Holidays are a great time to craft unique and creative marketing campaigns. Besides the regular national holidays, there are tons of other world awareness days that focus on different themes and issues, many of which may be applicable to your brand.
Here is a list of both national holidays celebrated in the US, as well as global awareness days recognized worldwide. Many of them are created by the United Nations (UN) to emphasis different issues, and are particularly useful for nonprofits.
Other holidays are fun and unofficial days – like Pie Day or Hugging Day, that are great for small businesses.
Some holidays have the same specific DATE, while others fall on a specific DAY, and so will have changing DATES. This list is updated for 2021.
2022 Calendar of Holidays:
January Holidays
January 1 – New Year’s Day – Celebrate, plan, vision cast – everything’s new.
January 18 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – commemorates the life of Martin Luther King, Jr, a civil rights leader in America. (Changes yearly, always the 3rd Monday of January)
January 22 – National Hugging Day – Unofficial US holiday to give hugs.
January 24 – International Day of Education – UN day to highlight the role of education for peace and development.
February Holidays
February 1 – National Freedom Day – US holiday honoring the signing of the resolution that would become the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery.
February 1 – Chinese New Year – celebrated by Chinese communities globally, it is the first day of the Chinese calendar (Changes annually, based on lunar calendar). 2022 is the year of the Tiger.
February 2 – Groundhog Day – a fun holiday based on the myth that a groundhog comes out and predicts whether winter is coming to an end or continue for another 6 weeks. Also made popular by the movie as a day that repeats.
February 4 – World Cancer Day – global observance to raise awareness and promote research
February 13 – Superbowl Sunday – the final NFL Championship match in the US and most watched TV event of the year. (Changes annually)
February 13 – World Radio Day – a UN day that celebrates radio providing education, information, and freedom of expression.
February 14 – Valentine’s Day – celebrating romantic love.
February 20 – World Day of Social Justice – a UN day to raise awareness of poverty and inequality, and to promote social justice.
February 21 – President’s Day – US holiday honoring the work of presidents & celebrating George Washington’s birthday. (Changes annually, always the 3rd Monday of February)
March Holidays
March 3 – World Wildlife Day – UN day to raise awareness for endangered species and plants
March 8 – International Women’s Day – UN day to celebrate the achievements of women throughout history.
March 14 – National Pi Day – Unofficial US holiday to the Pi (3.14…) and also pie.
March 17 – St Patrick’s Day – festive holiday to commemorate Ireland’s patron saint.
March 20 – First Day of Spring – the spring equinox, where the length of day and night are almost equal
March 20 – International Day of Happiness – UN day to recognize and promote the pursuit of happiness.
March 21 – World Poetry Day – UN day to appreciate and celebrate poets.
March 22 – World Water Day – UN day to raise awareness for the importance and need for water.
April Holidays
April 1 – April Fools Day – Get in on the fun and post something silly
April 2 – World Autism Awareness Day – global observance to raise awareness for people with autism, especially children
April 2 – First Day of Ramadan – Muslim holiday observed by one month of fasting from dawn to sunset. Changes annually based on Islamic calendar
April 7 – World Health Day – UN day to promote global health
April 15 – April 23 – Passover – Jewish holiday commemorating the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. Changes annually based on the Hebrew calendar.
April 15 – Good Friday – global Christian holiday commemorating the death of Jesus (Changes annually, based on the lunar calendar)
April 17 – Easter – a global Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead (Changes annually, based on the lunar calendar)
April 22 – Earth Day – global holiday to raise awareness & appreciate the environment
April 25 – World Malaria Day – global day to raise awareness for malaria treatment efforts
April 30 – International Jazz Day – UN day to recognize and appreciate the contributions of jazz
May Holidays
May 2 – End of Ramadan – Muslim holiday marking the end of the fasting period, celebrated with a feast. Changes annually based on Islamic calendar
May 3 – World Press Freedom Day – global holiday to focus on the importance of freedom of press as a basic human right
May 4 – Star Wars Day – Unofficial cultural holiday to celebrate Star Wars – “May the Fourth” sounds like “May the force be with you.”
May 5 – Cinco de Mayo – festive Mexican holiday celebrated in Mexico & the US for the defeat of the French army
May 5 – National Day of Prayer – US holiday to call on people of different faiths to pray for the nation
May 8 – Mother’s Day – global day to show appreciation to mothers and mother figures (Changes annually, always the 2nd Sunday of May)
May 15 – International Day of Families – global day to recognize the importance of families
May 30 – Memorial Day – US holiday to commemorate those who have died in military service (Changes annually, always last Monday in May)
June Holidays
June 4 – National Doughnut Day – Unofficial US holiday to celebrate donuts (Changes annually, always 1st Friday in June)
June 5 – World Environment Day – UN day to raise awareness for the environment
June 8 – World Oceans Day – UN day to raise awareness for the importance of oceans
June 14 – Flag Day – US holiday to commemorate the US flag
June 19 – Father’s Day – global day to show appreciation to fathers and father figures (Changes annually, always the 3rd Sunday of June)
June 20 – World Refugee Day – UN Day to raise awareness for the plight of refugees around the world
June 21 – First Day of Summer – the summer solstice, the longest day of the year
July Holidays
July 4 – Independence Day – US holiday to celebrate the declaration of independence from Great Britain
July 30 – International Day of Friendship / World Friendship Day – UN day to celebrate the role of friendship
August Holidays
August 12 – International Youth Day – UN holiday to celebrate & promote the efforts of youth in society
August 19 – World Humanitarian Day – UN day to honor humanitarian work
September Holidays
September 5 – International Bacon Day – Unofficial day to celebrate the love of bacon
September 5 – Labor Day – US holiday to celebrate contributions of labor associations (Changes annually, always the first Monday of September)
September 8 – International Literacy Day – UN day to raise awareness for literacy issues
September 19 – International Talk Like a Pirate Day – unofficial day to have fun talking like a pirate
September 22 – First Day of Fall – the autumnal equinox, where the length of day and night are almost equal
October Holidays
October 5 – World Teacher’s Day – UN day to celebrate commemorate the role of teachers
October 16 – World Food Day – UN day to raise awareness for the issues of food supply & distribution
October 31 – Halloween – a global festive holiday to celebrate with costumes and horror themes
November Holidays
November 2 – All Soul’s Day / Day of the Dead – a festive Mexican holiday to honor the dead
November 11 – Veterans Day – US holiday to honor all who have served in military service
November 24 – Thanksgiving – US holiday to show gratitude (Changes annually, always the 4th Thursday in November)
November 25 – Black Friday – US day where business offer the largest sales of the year (Changes annually, always the Friday after Thanksgiving)
November 26 – Small Business Saturday – US day to promote shopping at small business (Changes annually, always the Saturday after Thanksgiving)
November 28 – Cyber Monday – US day where online stores offer sales (Changes annually, always the Monday after Thanksgiving)
November 29 – Giving Tuesday – US day to promote donating & volunteering to charitable causes (Changes annually, always the Tuesday after Thanksgiving)
December Holidays
December 1 – World Aids Day – UN day to raise awareness for people with HIV/AIDS
December 10 – Human Rights Day – UN day to raise awareness for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
December 18 – December 26 – Hanukkah – Jewish holiday commemorating the re-dedication of the 2nd Temple in Jerusalem. Changes annually based on Hebrew calendar
December 21 – First Day of Winter – the shortest day of the year
December 25 – Christmas – global Christian holiday to commemorate the birth of Jesus, also a universal holiday for gift-giving
December 26 – January 1 – Kwanzaa – African-American holiday based on harvest feast traditions from Africa
Go ahead and bookmark all the relevant holidays that apply to your brand and industry. Keep checking back, as I’ll add more holidays as I come across them. Are there any I missed that should be on here? Share in the comments!
Now that you have your holiday calendar down, you’ll need the right hashtags to run an effective social media marketing campaign:
Good list, thanks!