Every Holiday Your Brand Should Be Celebrating

March 31st 2021
5 minute read
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Almost everyone, including their parents and pets, is on social media. To stand out and boost engagement, you should celebrate (inter)national holidays and observances that your audience love!

We’ve put together a long list of (inter)national holidays and observances you could celebrate with your brand. These include traditional holidays for diverse religions as well as some fun international observances. 

Wherever possible, we’ve linked to customizable templates you can use as well!

January

New Year’s isn’t the only celebration to take place in January. There’s Orthodox Christmas to celebrate with the Russians, Burn’s Night to eat haggis with tatties, and Australia Day at the end of the month. 

Jan 1 – New Year’s Day 
Jan 7 – Orthodox Christmas
Jan 25 – Burns Night
Jan 26 – Australia Day

GoPro proved that not all New Year’s campaigns have to be about resolutions or champagne.

February

February may be the shortest month of the year, but there’s a lot going on. It’s a new Lunar year, a month of love and Black History Month to name a few. 

Feb 12 – Lunar New Year (NB! Changes annually)
Feb 13 – Galentine’s Day
Feb 14 – Valentine’s Day 
Feb 16 – Mardi Gras; Shrove Tuesday (NB! Changes annually)
Feb 17 – Ash Wednesday (NB! Changes annually)

Target created an excellent awareness campaign for Black History Month.

March

After a long winter, spring finally begins in March. It’s also Women’s History Month, making it a perfect time to highlight the women in our lives and pay more attention to mental health. 

Mar 2 – World Teen Mental Wellness Day
Mar 8 – International Women’s Day
Mar 17 – St. Patrick’s Day
Mar 20 – International Day of Happiness
Mar 28 – Earth Hour

Why not create an event for Women’s Day like IKEA did.

April

April is a month of humor, Easter egg hunts, taking care of our planet and the beginning of Ramadan. If you plan ahead, any one of these days could make a successful campaign! 

Apr 1- April Fool’s 
Apr 4 – Easter (NB! Changes annually)
Apr 12 – Ramadan begins (NB! Changes annually)
Apr 22 – Earth Day

This April Fool’s Campaign by PayPal is hilarious! Wonder how many people fell for it…
National Geographic executed their Earth Day campaign perfectly with a Neighbourhood Safari challenge.

Find more ideas about what to post in April here

May

Mayday Mayday! 8 important dates to bear in mind in May, beginning with May Day. May the 4th be with you planning your social schedule. 

May 1 – May Day
May 4 – Star Wars Day
May 5 – Cinco de Mayo
May 9 – Mother’s Day
May 16 – Jewish holiday Shavuot
May 24 – Eid al-Fitr
May 26 – Buddhist holiday Vesak
May 31 – Memorial Day

You don’t have to be directly involved with Star Wars to be involved! Porsche did it wonderfully.

June

It’s summer! Alongside your summer campaigns and seasonal offers, consider including these days in your strategy.

Jun 6 – D-Day
Jun 19 – Juneteenth
Jun 20 – Father’s Day
Jun 21 – Summer Solstice
Jun 24 – Midsummer

Hendrick’s created a limited edition Gin for Summer Solstice.

July

July is an important month for Americans, the Irish, the French and Muslims. If any of these communities is your target audience, celebrate alongside them! 

Jul 4 – American Independence Day
Jul 12 – Orangemen’s Day in Ireland
Jul 14 – Bastille Day in France
Jul 31 – Eid al-Adha

You can celebrate July 4th from literally anywhere on Earth or off it! NASA is a great example.

August

Most likely, August will see a time of calm from celebration with just a few to keep in mind. We added DOGust as a fun way to draw awareness towards the #adoptdontshop movement. 

Aug 1 – DOGust Universal Birthday for Shelter Dogs
Aug 9 – Islamic New Year (NB! Changes annually)
Aug 22 – Hindu celebration Onam

Rescue Pets of Instagram celebrated all of their dogs’ birthdays on August 1.

September

It may be the 9th month in the Gregorian Calendar, but Jewish New Year is just beginning! In addition, it’s the perfect time to donate to charity and call your grandparents. 

Sep 5 – International Day of Charity
Sep 6 – Labor Day; Jewish New Year Rosh Hashanah (NB! Changes annually)
Sep 10 – Ganesh Chaturthi; Suicide Prevention Day
Sep 12 – Grandparents Day
Sep 15 – Yom Kippur

Johnson’s Baby created a nostalgic #RememberWhen campaign for Grandparents’ Day

October 

Not much goes on in the world in October other than Halloween and huge preparations before Thanksgiving. If you need a post idea other than pumpkins and costumes, you can take a look at National Days instead. 

Oct 1 – World Smile Day
Oct 10 – World Mental Health Day
Oct 31 – Halloween

Heinz got 4.9 billion views with their Halloween #HeinzHalloween TikTok challenge.

November

The beginning of November is dedicated to remembering the dead, followed by more cheerful festivities. For e-commerce companies such as B2C online marketplaces or wholesale B2B dropshipping companies, mark your calendars early for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals! 

Nov 1 – All Saints’ Day
Nov 2 – Day of the Dead
Nov 4 – Diwali Festival of Lights
Nov 11 – Veterans Day
Nov 25 – Thanksgiving (NB! Changes annually)
Nov 28 – Hanukkah (NB! Changes annually)
Nov 30 – Saint Andrew’s Day

Every year, Hot Wheels cars help make some of the most iconic Thanksgiving foods.

December

Finally, let’s close the year with Christmas and New Year’s – two holidays that spike sales super high if leveraged right! Although they take up most of our feeds, let’s not also forget Kwanzaa.

Dec 6 – St. Nicholas Day
Dec 21 – Winter Solstice
Dec 24-25 – Christmas
Dec 26 – Boxing Day; Kwanzaa
Dec 31 – New Year’s Eve 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Juv2c0xgGno
The UK Mall John Lewis is known for their tear-jerking Christmas ads.

If there’s anything else you think we should add to our list of holidays you should celebrate with your brand, let us know!

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