Social media holidays 2026 and 2027
Social media holidays are the light, shareable days that get organic reach on Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and X: National Coffee Day, World Emoji Day, International Dog Day. This list covers 161 of them over the next twelve months, month by month, with UK and US flags and a suggested hashtag for each. The heavier retail and awareness dates are on the marketing calendar.
How to use social media holidays
Pick the days that fit your brand voice, never all of them. One or two a week is plenty. Use the hashtag on the day, post early (feeds fill up by mid-morning), and keep tentpole dates for the marketing calendar where they get a proper campaign. Dates marked UK or US are only widely observed in that country.
October 2026
October is Halloween for four weeks, plus World Smile Day and Teachers' Day.
| Date | Social media holiday | Region | Hashtag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct to 31 Oct | Black History Month February in the US, October in the UK. Employee voices and long-term commitments, not one-off posts. | US | #BlackHistoryMonth |
| 1 Oct to 7 Oct | National Vegetarian Week 2026 Similar to Veganuary but more accessible. Works for food, retail, and hospitality. | UK and US | #NationalVegetarianWeek |
| 1 Oct to 31 Oct | Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2026 October's dominant cause month; partner with a charity and be transparent about donations. | UK and US | #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth |
| 1 Oct | International Coffee Day 2026 Cafes, FMCG and workplace content; free-coffee promotions travel well. | UK and US | #InternationalCoffeeDay |
| 1 Oct to 31 Oct | Stoptober 2026 NHS quit-smoking month; workplace wellbeing and pharmacy content. | UK | #Stoptober |
| 1 Oct | National Hair Day | UK and US | #NationalHairDay |
| 2 Oct | World Smile Day 2026 Light, positive content; dental and hospitality brands lead. | UK and US | #WorldSmileDay |
| 3 Oct | National Boyfriend Day 2026 | UK and US | #NationalBoyfriendDay |
| 3 Oct | Mean Girls Day | UK and US | #MeanGirlsDay |
| 4 Oct | National Good Buddy Day | UK and US | #NationalGoodBuddyDay |
| 5 Oct | World Teachers Day 2026 Education and appreciation content; strong for edtech, publishers and family brands. | UK and US | #WorldTeachersDay |
| 10 Oct | World Mental Health Day 2026 The most recognised wellbeing date; workplace support stories and charity partnerships perform best. | UK and US | #WorldMentalHealthDay |
| 14 Oct to 20 Oct | National Baking Week 2026 Post-Bake Off fever. Food, kitchenware, and lifestyle brands should capitalise. | UK and US | #NationalBakingWeek |
| 31 Oct | Halloween Costumes, confectionery and seasonal packaging; content and promotions run for the whole of October. | UK and US | #Halloween |
November 2026
November: Bonfire Night, World Kindness Day, Thanksgiving and the Black Friday weekend.
| Date | Social media holiday | Region | Hashtag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Nov to 30 Nov | Movember 2026 – Men’s Health Awareness Month Men's health fundraising; team challenges and employee stories. | UK and US | #Movember2026MensHealthAwarenessMonth |
| 5 Nov | Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes Night) UK fireworks and food night; hospitality, grocery and safety content. | UK | #BonfireNightGuyFawkesNight |
| 8 Nov | Diwali Festival of lights: gifting, food and family moment for South Asian audiences; large UK and US reach. | UK and US | #Diwali |
| 13 Nov | World Kindness Day Feel-good UGC and employee recognition; simple, high-share content. | UK and US | #WorldKindnessDay |
| 16 Nov | Odd Socks Day 2026 | UK and US | #OddSocksDay |
| 17 Nov | National Baklava Day | UK and US | #NationalBaklavaDay |
| 17 Nov | National Reuben Day | UK and US | #NationalReubenDay |
| 18 Nov | Minnie Mouse’s Birthday | UK and US | #MinnieMousesBirthday |
| 18 Nov | Married to a Scorpio Support Day | UK and US | #MarriedToAScorpioSupportDay |
| 18 Nov | Occult Day | UK and US | #OccultDay |
| 19 Nov | International Men’s Day Growing in recognition. Good for men's health content and workplace wellbeing. | UK and US | #InternationalMensDay |
| 19 Nov | National Camp Day | UK and US | #NationalCampDay |
| 26 Nov | Thanksgiving 2026 The US family peak and the gateway to Black Friday; gratitude content and early deals. | US | #Thanksgiving |
| 28 Nov | Small Business Saturday Shop-local counterweight to Black Friday; strong for independents and community stories. | US | #SmallBusinessSaturday |
December 2026
December is Christmas Jumper Day, advent countdowns and year-in-review posts.
| Date | Social media holiday | Region | Hashtag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Dec | Giving Tuesday Global generosity day after Cyber Monday; donation matching and charity partner content. | UK and US | #GivingTuesday |
| 1 Dec to 24 Dec | Advent 2026 Advent calendars and countdown content from 1 December; daily email and social mechanics. | UK and US | #Advent |
| 2 Dec | National Fritters Day | UK and US | #NationalFrittersDay |
| 3 Dec | International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2026 A chance to spotlight accessibility initiatives and inclusive design. | UK and US | #InternationalDayOfPersonsWithDisabilities |
| 3 Dec | Let’s Hug Day | UK and US | #LetsHugDay |
| 5 Dec | Walt Disney’s Birthday | UK and US | #WaltDisneysBirthday |
| 9 Dec | National Pastry Day | UK and US | #NationalPastryDay |
| 10 Dec | Christmas Jumper Day 2026 Save the Children fundraiser; office and team content that shares widely in the UK. | UK | #ChristmasJumperDay |
| 19 Dec | National Emo Day | UK and US | #NationalEmoDay |
| 21 Dec | Gravy Day | UK and US | #GravyDay |
| 22 Dec | National Cookie Exchange Day | UK and US | #NationalCookieExchangeDay |
| 22 Dec | National Short Person Day | UK and US | #NationalShortPersonDay |
| 25 Dec | Christmas Day 2026 The retail and family peak; greetings content on the day, promotions run from early November. | UK and US | #ChristmasDay |
| 31 Dec | New Years Eve 2026 Year in review, thank-you notes and countdown content; sets up January launches. | UK and US | #NewYearsEve |
January 2027
January is quiet on social, which is the point: Blue Monday, Veganuary and Dry January give brands something to say while everyone else is resting.
| Date | Social media holiday | Region | Hashtag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan to 31 Jan | Veganuary 2027 A full month of plant-based content opportunities. Huge on social, massive search volume. Food, retail, and lifestyle brands should be all over this. | UK and US | #Veganuary |
| 1 Jan to 31 Jan | Dry January 2027 Health and wellness brands, hospitality, and drinks companies — this is your moment. Non-alcoholic alternatives are a growing market. | UK and US | #DryJanuary |
| 1 Jan | New Years Day 2027 Fresh-start intent peaks: resolutions, sales, planning content. Email open rates are strong in the first week of January. | UK and US | #NewYearsDay |
| 3 Jan | Festival Of Sleep Day 2027 | UK and US | #FestivalOfSleepDay |
| 4 Jan | Dimpled Chad Day | UK and US | #DimpledChadDay |
| 12 Jan | Kiss A Ginger Day 2027 | UK and US | #KissAGingerDay |
| 16 Jan | National Fig Newton Day | UK and US | #NationalFigNewtonDay |
| 16 Jan | Dragon Appreciation Day | UK and US | #DragonAppreciationDay |
| 18 Jan | Blue Monday 2027 The so-called "most depressing day of the year." Divisive, but still trending every January. Use it to spark positive content, not jump on the misery. | UK and US | #BlueMonday |
| 25 Jan | Burns Night 2027 Scottish food, drink and hospitality moment; whisky, haggis and poetry content travels well on social. | UK | #BurnsNight |
| 25 Jan | Opposite Day | UK and US | #OppositeDay |
| 29 Jan | National Puzzle Day | UK and US | #NationalPuzzleDay |
| 30 Jan | National Draw A Dinosaur Day 2027 | UK and US | #NationalDrawADinosaurDay |
February 2027
February is short and packed: Valentine's, Galentine's, pancakes, kindness day and the Super Bowl for US audiences.
| Date | Social media holiday | Region | Hashtag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Feb to 28 Feb | LGBT History Month 2027 A month-long opportunity for brands to show genuine allyship. Authenticity is everything here — performative posts get called out fast. | UK | #LGBTHistoryMonth |
| 6 Feb | Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) Major retail and travel moment across Asia and diaspora audiences; gifting, red packets and themed collections. | UK and US | #ChineseNewYearLunarNewYear |
| 8 Feb to 8 Mar | Ramadan 2027 A month of fasting and community; food, gifting and inclusive workplace content. Dates move each year. | UK and US | #Ramadan |
| 9 Feb | Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day 2027 One of the UK's most shareable food days; grocery, hospitality and recipe content spikes for a week beforehand. | UK | #ShroveTuesdayPancakeDay |
| 10 Feb | National Umbrella Day 2027 | UK and US | #NationalUmbrellaDay |
| 14 Feb | Valentine’s Day 2027 The obvious one. Still one of the biggest commercial moments of Q1. Works across almost every sector. | UK and US | #ValentinesDay |
| 14 Feb | Super Bowl 2027 The biggest US advertising night of the year; snacks, TV and reactive social. Sunday in early February. | US | #SuperBowl |
| 17 Feb | Random Acts of Kindness Day 2027 Feel-good content and employee stories; pairs well with CSR and community initiatives. | UK and US | #RandomActsOfKindnessDay |
| 22 Feb | World Thinking Day 2027 Linked to Guides and Scouts. Good for education and youth-focused brands. | UK and US | #WorldThinkingDay |
| 23 Feb | Pinocchio Day | UK and US | #PinocchioDay |
| 24 Feb | World Bartender Day | UK and US | #WorldBartenderDay |
| 27 Feb | National Pokemon Day | UK and US | #NationalPokemonDay |
March 2027
March: pancakes in the UK, International Women's Day, World Book Day dressing-up and St Patrick's Day.
| Date | Social media holiday | Region | Hashtag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Mar | Fun Facts About Names Day | UK and US | #FunFactsAboutNamesDay |
| 1 Mar | National Pig Day | UK and US | #NationalPigDay |
| 4 Mar | World Book Day 2027 Schools, parents and publishers all engage; costume and reading content is reliably shared in the UK. | UK | #WorldBookDay |
| 5 Mar to 14 Mar | British Science Week 2027 Ten days of STEM engagement. Great for tech, pharma, engineering, and education brands. | UK and US | #BritishScienceWeek |
| 5 Mar | National Middle Name Pride Day | UK and US | #NationalMiddleNamePrideDay |
| 7 Mar | Mothers Day UK 2027 (Mothering Sunday) The UK's second biggest gifting day after Christmas; brief creative in January and lock email by late February. | UK | #MothersDayUK2027MotheringSunday |
| 8 Mar | International Women’s Day 2027 One of the biggest awareness days globally. High engagement, but audiences are increasingly intolerant of tokenism. | UK and US | #InternationalWomensDay |
| 9 Mar | Eid al-Fitr 2027 Celebration ending Ramadan; gifting, food and greetings content for Muslim audiences. | UK and US | #EidAlFitr |
| 14 Mar | Daylight Saving Day Clocks-change reminders are useful, timely content; sleep, lighting and routine angles. | UK and US | #DaylightSavingDay |
| 14 Mar | The Oscars 2027 Awards-night reactive social and fashion content; late-night audience in the UK. | UK and US | #TheOscars |
| 17 Mar | St Patricks Day 2027 Hospitality, drinks and green-themed promotions; big in the US and Ireland, strong in UK cities. | UK and US | #StPatricksDay |
| 19 Mar | World Sleep Day 2027 Growing in popularity. Perfect for health, wellness, mattress, and lifestyle brands. | UK and US | #WorldSleepDay |
| 20 Mar | Earth Hour 2027 Lights-off hour in late March; sustainability signal and community participation. | UK and US | #EarthHour |
| 28 Mar | Easter Sunday 2027 Confectionery, family and spring content; retail promotions run for the two weeks before. | UK and US | #EasterSunday |
April 2027
April opens with April Fools' Day and closes with Earth Day; Easter and siblings day fill the middle.
| Date | Social media holiday | Region | Hashtag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Apr to 30 Apr | Stress Awareness Month 2027 A full month. Relevant for HR, health, wellness, and any brand with an employee wellbeing angle. | UK and US | #StressAwarenessMonth |
| 1 Apr to 30 Apr | National Pet Month 2027 Pet content outperforms almost everything on social. If you can make a pet connection to your brand, do it. | UK and US | #NationalPetMonth |
| 1 Apr | April Fools’ Day 2027 Brand pranks and playful launches; only works if the joke is obviously a joke. | UK and US | #AprilFoolsDay |
| 1 Apr | Fun Day | UK and US | #FunDay |
| 1 Apr | International Fun at Work Day | UK and US | #InternationalFunAtWorkDay |
| 3 Apr | International Pillow Fight Day 2027 | UK and US | #InternationalPillowFightDay |
| 3 Apr | National Find a Rainbow Day | UK and US | #NationalFindARainbowDay |
| 4 Apr | 404 Day 2027 | UK and US | #404Day |
| 10 Apr | National Siblings Day 2027 Light UGC moment for family-oriented brands; strongest in the US on Instagram. | US | #NationalSiblingsDay |
| 13 Apr | National Scrabble Day 2027 | UK and US | #NationalScrabbleDay |
| 17 Apr | National Husband Appreciation Day | UK and US | #NationalHusbandAppreciationDay |
| 22 Apr | International Mother Earth Day 2027 The anchor date for sustainability announcements; only credible with something real to say. | UK and US | #InternationalMotherEarthDay |
| 23 Apr | World Book Night 2027 The grown-up companion to World Book Day. Good for evening/lifestyle content. | UK and US | #WorldBookNight |
| 25 Apr | The London Marathon 2027 Fundraising, fitness and charity partnership stories; one of the UK's most watched sporting days. | UK | #TheLondonMarathon |
May 2027
May the 4th, Eurovision and a run of light food days make May one of the easiest months for social.
| Date | Social media holiday | Region | Hashtag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 May | World Press Freedom Day 2027 Relevant for media, publishing, and PR brands. A chance to champion journalism. | UK and US | #WorldPressFreedomDay |
| 4 May | Star Wars Day 2027 May the 4th: playful pun content that performs across most consumer brands. | US | #StarWarsDay |
| 5 May | Cinco de Mayo 2027 Food, drink and hospitality moment in the US; avoid stereotypes. | US | #CincoDeMayo |
| 9 May | Mother’s Day 2027 US The US gifting peak in May; flowers, jewellery, food and experiences. Plan email by mid-April. | US | #MothersDay2027US |
| 9 May | National Lost Sock Day 2027 | UK and US | #NationalLostSockDay |
| 10 May to 16 May | Mental Health Awareness Week 2027 One of the most important awareness weeks in the UK calendar. Run by the Mental Health Foundation. | UK and US | #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek |
| 13 May | Leprechaun Day | UK and US | #LeprechaunDay |
| 15 May | International Day of Families 2027 Works for family-focused brands, HR content, and flexible working campaigns. | UK and US | #InternationalDayOfFamilies |
| 15 May | Eurovision Song Contest 2027 Camp, shareable, huge UK social audience on the Saturday night; party food and drink content. | UK | #EurovisionSongContest |
| 17 May to 17 Jun | National Smile Month 2027 Oral health month in the UK; dental, wellbeing and feel-good content. | UK | #NationalSmileMonth |
| 20 May | World Bee Day 2027 Surprisingly high engagement. Environmental angle plus cute imagery — a social media dream. | UK and US | #WorldBeeDay |
| 21 May | End of the World | UK and US | #EndOfTheWorld |
| 24 May | National Brother Day 2027 | UK and US | #NationalBrotherDay |
June 2027
June is Pride, Father's Day and the start of summer; World Music Day and Emoji Day are close behind.
| Date | Social media holiday | Region | Hashtag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jun to 30 Jun | Pride Month 2027 Only credible with year-round support; focus on community partners and employee stories rather than rainbow logos. | UK and US | #PrideMonth |
| 4 Jun | National Dougnut Day 2027 | UK and US | #NationalDougnutDay |
| 4 Jun | National Corgi Day | UK and US | #NationalCorgiDay |
| 4 Jun | National Flip Flop Day | UK and US | #NationalFlipFlopDay |
| 5 Jun | World Environment Day 2027 UN date for sustainability announcements and reports; strong media pickup for credible data. | UK and US | #WorldEnvironmentDay |
| 9 Jun | Love Island Day | UK and US | #LoveIslandDay |
| 9 Jun | National Donald Duck Day | UK and US | #NationalDonaldDuckDay |
| 14 Jun to 20 Jun | Men’s Health Week 2027 Men's wellbeing content; pairs with workplace health initiatives. | UK and US | #MensHealthWeek |
| 14 Jun to 20 Jun | National Picnic Week Summer lifestyle content. Works for food, drinks, and outdoor brands. | UK and US | #NationalPicnicWeek |
| 20 Jun | Father’s Day UK Gifting peak for the UK in June; tech, tools, grooming and experiences. US Father's Day is the same Sunday. | UK | #FathersDayUK |
| 21 Jun | World Music Day Playlists, staff picks and live music content; strong for hospitality and retail. | UK and US | #WorldMusicDay |
| 21 Jun | Summer Solstice 2027 Longest day: outdoor, wellbeing and seasonal content. | UK and US | #SummerSolstice |
| 22 Jun | Windrush Day 2027 Celebrates the Windrush generation; heritage and inclusion stories for UK organisations. | UK | #WindrushDay |
| 28 Jun to 11 Jul | Wimbledon 2027 Two weeks of British summer: strawberries, Pimm's and tennis content for hospitality and retail. | UK | #Wimbledon |
July 2027
July: World Emoji Day, World Chocolate Day and the summer holidays. Keep it visual.
| Date | Social media holiday | Region | Hashtag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul to 31 Jul | Plastic Free July 2027 Month-long sustainability challenge; good for product swaps and behaviour-change content. | UK and US | #PlasticFreeJuly |
| 1 Jul | International Joke Day 2027 | UK and US | #InternationalJokeDay |
| 1 Jul to 31 Jul | National Ice Cream Month 2027 | UK and US | #NationalIceCreamMonth |
| 1 Jul to 31 Jul | National Anti-Boredom Month | UK and US | #NationalAntiBoredomMonth |
| 2 Jul | World UFO Day 2027 | UK and US | #WorldUFODay |
| 4 Jul | Independence Day 2027 Summer's biggest US holiday: sales, food and outdoor content; most brands go quiet on the day itself. | US | #IndependenceDay |
| 5 Jul | National Workaholics Day | UK and US | #NationalWorkaholicsDay |
| 5 Jul | National Bikini Day | UK and US | #NationalBikiniDay |
| 7 Jul | World Chocolate Day 2027 Easy food and treat content; strong engagement for hospitality and FMCG. | UK and US | #WorldChocolateDay |
| 10 Jul | International Skinny Dip Day | UK and US | #InternationalSkinnyDipDay |
| 17 Jul | World Emoji Day 2027 Pure social moment: emoji polls, quizzes and brand personality content. | UK and US | #WorldEmojiDay |
| 24 Jul | International Self-Care Day 2027 Wellbeing and beauty content; pairs with summer routines. | UK and US | #InternationalSelfCareDay |
| 28 Jul | World Nature Conservation Day Smaller than Earth Day but still valuable for sustainability content. | UK and US | #WorldNatureConservationDay |
| 30 Jul | World Friendship Day / International Day Of Friendship 2027 Tag-a-friend and referral mechanics; light UGC moment. | UK and US | #WorldFriendshipDayInternationalDayOfFriendship |
August 2027
August has International Cat Day, National Dog Day and World Photography Day: peak user-generated content month.
| Date | Social media holiday | Region | Hashtag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Aug | National Girlfriend Day 2027 | UK and US | #NationalGirlfriendDay |
| 1 Aug to 31 Aug | Family Fun Month | UK and US | #FamilyFunMonth |
| 1 Aug | National Spider-Man Day | UK and US | #NationalSpiderManDay |
| 2 Aug | National Coloring Book Day | UK and US | #NationalColoringBookDay |
| 4 Aug | National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day | UK and US | #NationalChocolateChipCookieDay |
| 7 Aug | National Sunflower Day | UK and US | #NationalSunflowerDay |
| 8 Aug | International Cat Day 2027 The internet's favourite day. If you have any office cats (or remote pets), this is free engagement. | UK and US | #InternationalCatDay |
| 9 Aug | National Billiards & Pool Day | UK and US | #NationalBilliardsPoolDay |
| 10 Aug | Duran Duran Appreciation Day | UK and US | #DuranDuranAppreciationDay |
| 10 Aug | National Lazy Day | UK and US | #NationalLazyDay |
| 10 Aug | National Spoil Your Dog Day | UK and US | #NationalSpoilYourDogDay |
| 19 Aug | World Photography Day 2027 UGC photo prompts and behind-the-scenes content. | UK and US | #WorldPhotographyDay |
| 23 Aug to 6 Sep | Back to School 2027 Late August to early September retail peak for families; stationery, uniforms, tech and routines. | UK and US | #BackToSchool |
| 26 Aug | National Dog Day 2027 One of the most engaged pet days on social; office dog content works for almost any brand. | US | #NationalDogDay |
September 2027
September is back to school and International Coffee Day; feeds get busier as autumn starts.
| Date | Social media holiday | Region | Hashtag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Sep | Ginger Cat Appreciation Day | UK and US | #GingerCatAppreciationDay |
| 4 Sep | National Eat an Extra Dessert Day | UK and US | #NationalEatAnExtraDessertDay |
| 4 Sep | World Beard Day | UK and US | #WorldBeardDay |
| 5 Sep | International Day of Charity 2026 Spotlight your CSR. Audiences want to see brands with purpose. | UK and US | #InternationalDayOfCharity |
| 7 Sep | National Buy a Book Day | UK and US | #NationalBuyABookDay |
| 9 Sep | International Sudoku Day | UK and US | #InternationalSudokuDay |
| 9 Sep | International Buy a Priest a Beer Day | UK and US | #InternationalBuyAPriestABeerDay |
| 9 Sep | National When Pigs Fly Day | UK and US | #NationalWhenPigsFlyDay |
| 10 Sep | World Suicide Prevention Day 2027 Sensitive but vital. An opportunity to share mental health resources and signpost support. | UK and US | #WorldSuicidePreventionDay |
| 24 Sep | Macmillan Coffee Morning 2027 One of the UK's biggest charity events. Millions participate. Instant goodwill content. | UK and US | #MacmillanCoffeeMorning |
| 27 Sep | World Tourism Day 2027 Travel and hospitality brands, this is your final big moment before winter planning. | UK and US | #WorldTourismDay |
Get every date in your own tools
The free template gives you the key dates in Excel, Google Sheets, PDF and iCal. The Awareness Days Toolkit gives you every awareness day and key date for the year, kept current.
Frequently asked questions
What are social media holidays?
Social media holidays are the informal, shareable days that trend on social platforms every year: National Coffee Day, World Emoji Day, International Dog Day, Star Wars Day. They are not public holidays. Brands use them for light, timely content that fits the day's mood and hashtag.
How many social media holidays should a brand post about?
One or two a week at most. Pick the days that fit your brand voice and audience, skip the rest, and save the big dates (Black Friday, Mother's Day, Pride) for the marketing calendar where they get a planned campaign.
Are these UK or US dates?
Both. Days that are only widely observed in one country are marked UK or US; unmarked days are observed in both.
Can I download the social media holidays list?
Yes. Save as PDF prints this page. The free marketing calendar template includes an iCal file and a Google Sheet with the key dates, and the Awareness Days Toolkit includes every awareness day for the year.