The Complete Social Media Holiday Calendar for 2024 [Template]

Sometimes, a formula works so well that it becomes timeless. Holidays – whether historical, cultural, or purely made-by-marketers – are a good example. 

Nobody questions the validity of a holiday. Each holiday has its unique energy, and it’s ritualistic for humans to feel that energy, and be a part of the social conversations that ensue. 

Think of Black Friday sales, Cyber Monday sales, and Thanksgiving Day sales.  Even though so many research studies in retail reveal that products are available for the same prices (or even cheaper) at other times of the year, the euphoria of these events does not flag. 

That’s the power of holidays. That’s the power of every human’s hard-wired desire to be a part of the bigger conversation. 

For brands, e-stores, and D2C companies, these ‘special holidays’ are the most important dates in the year. So it’s natural that somebody thought, “Why not make every day of the year a holiday?”. And that’s how the first social media holiday calendar would have been compiled. 

That’s what this guide is about. You can also download the calendar template from here

In this guide, we’ll walk you through: 

• What is a social media holiday calendar?
• Key elements of a social media holiday calendar
• The complete list of holidays to add to your social media holiday calendar for 2024
• 7 tips for planning your social media holiday calendar
• FAQs about social media holiday calendars

Let’s begin with the most fundamental question.

What is a social media holiday calendar? 

Before we explain that, think whether the following sounds familiar or not. 

You see a fresh Facebook ad that’s telling you to try the craziest possible flavor of ice-cream that day, because what else would you do on 21st July – the National Ice Cream Day. 

That’s when you remember that you could have riffed on the idea and come up with something spectacular for your hemp-based proteins brand. Perhaps a recipe for a hemp ice cream – world’s first, at that.  

FOMO hits you hard. 

What do you do then? Scramble for ideas and share a half-baked post. 

The result? No engagement. No sales.

You could have done so much better had you used a social media holidays calendar to plan your content. 

So now you know what this calendar is all about. A social media holidays calendar is a list of all relevant holidays for the year – not just bank holidays, but also holidays related to cultural memes, historical days, and whatnot. We’re talking of 200+ holidays at least. There’s no way you can rely on memory for this; you need this calendar. 

It can take many forms. 

• You could have your social media holiday calendar for 2024 in a simple spreadsheet. 
• It can also be a sophisticated digital planner. 
• Or even a social media management platform with scheduling capabilities.

Irrespective of the form and format, the core remains the same. 

Note: Please don’t let yourself be confused with two similar-sounding terms: ‘social media holiday calendar’ and ‘social media content calendar’. We’ve used both these terms generously in this guide, and that’s why this distinction is important. 

We’ve already explained what a social media holidays calendar is. A social media content calendar is something different. It’s a date-wise plan for the whole year, of what you’ll post on your social media accounts. So, it’s obvious – a holidays calendar can be a part of your content calendar. 

Now, let’s get back to the holidays calendar for social media and try to understand it better. 

Types of holidays for a social media calendar

Social media holidays come in all shapes and sizes. These are divided into types such as:

Major holidays

Widely celebrated events like Christmas, New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving

Lesser-known holidays

Obscure holidays that may not be widely recognized. But these can still be used for social media content, like Pizza Day or World Emoji Day.

Niche holidays

Holidays specific to certain interests, hobbies, or subcultures, like Star Wars Day or Pi Day.

Cultural holidays

Celebrations tied to particular cultures, regions, or ethnic groups like Diwali or Lunar New Year.

Religious holidays

Holidays observed by followers of various religions around the world like Easter or Hanukkah.

Awareness days/weeks

Events focused on raising awareness about important causes, issues, or health topics. Examples include World Environment Day and Mental Health Awareness Week.

Industry-specific holidays:

Holidays or observances relevant to specific industries or professions, like National Small Business Week or National Nurses Day. 

Each type of social media holiday is an opportunity to superimpose your brand atop a wave of history, culture, or pure marketer-made hysteria. 

The bigger events are already on the radar for most brands; it is the lesser-known festivals and days that get missed out. But these overlooked occasions provide opportunities for brands to stand out. How?

By celebrating lesser-known holidays on social media, you can:

• Connect with niche audiences
• Demonstrate authenticity. 
• Differentiate yourself from competitors
• Foster deeper connections with your communities. 
• Demonstrate their cultural awareness.
• Showcase willingness to engage with diverse audiences. 

So don’t skip these from your social media holiday calendar for 2024. 

Right, let’s now give you a calendar you can simply copy and reuse for your brand. 

Social media holiday calendar for 2024 [Template]

Let us take a look at the all events/days to include on your social media holiday calendar for 2024.

January social media holidays calendar 2024

January 1	New Year’s Day
January 2	Science Fiction Day
January 2	World Introvert Day
January 3	International Mind-Body Wellness Day
January 4	National Trivia Day
January 5	National Bird Day
January 8	World Typing Day
January 11	Clean Off Your Desk Day
January 11	Human Trafficking Awareness Day
January 13	National Sticker Day
January 14	World Logic Day
January 15	National Hat Day
January 15	National Bagel Day
January 15	Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
January 16	International Hot and Spicy Food Day
January 17	Ditch Your Resolution Day
January 18	Get to Know Your Customers Day
January 19	National Popcorn Day
January 20	Cheese Lovers Day
January 21	National Hugging Day
January 22	Community Manager Appreciation Day
January 24	National Compliment Day
January 24	International Education Day
January 25	Opposite Day
January 28	Data Privacy Day
January 28	International Lego Day
January 31	Inspire Your Heart With Art Day

February social media holidays calendar 2024

February 2	Groundhog Day
February 2	World Wetlands Day
February 4	World Cancer Day
February 5	National Weatherperson’s Day
February 6	Safer Internet Day
February 7	National Send a Card to a Friend Day
February 8	National Boy Scouts Day
February 9	National Pizza Day
February 10	Chinese New Year
February 11	Inventors Day
February 11	International Day of Women and Girls in Science
February 13	World Radio Day
February 13	Galentine’s Day
February 14	Valentine’s Day
February 17	Random Acts of Kindness Day
February 18	National Battery Day
February 18	World Whale Day
February 19	Presidents’ Day
February 20	World Day of Social Justice
February 20	Love Your Pet Day
February 21	International Mother Language Day
February 22	World Thinking Day
February 23	National Skip the Straw Day

March social media holidays calendar 2024

March 1	World Compliment Day
March 1	National Employee Appreciation Day
March 2	National Read Across America Day
March 3	World Wildlife Day
March 4	National Grammar Day
March 6	National Dentist’s Day
March 7	National Be Heard Day
March 8	International Women’s Day
March 10	National Pack Your Lunch Day
March 10	International Day of Awesomeness
March 11	National Worship of Tools Day
March 12	National Girl Scout Day
March 14	Pi Day
March 14	Popcorn Lover’s Day
March 15	World Consumer Rights Day
March 15	World Sleep Day
March 16	National Freedom of Information Day
March 17	St. Patrick’s Day
March 18	Global Recycling Day
March 19	National Let’s Laugh Day
March 20	International Day of Happiness
March 20	World Storytelling Day
March 21	International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
March 22	World Water Day
March 23	National Puppy Day
March 23	Earth Hour Day
March 25	Tolkien Reading Day
March 25	International Waffle Day
March 26	Purple Day
March 30	Doctor’s Day
March 31	Easter
March 31	Daylight Savings
March 31	World Backup Day
March 31	Transgender Day of Visibility

April

April 1	April Fools Day
April 2	World Autism Awareness Day
April 3	Find a Rainbow Day & World Party Day
April 4	Hug a Newsperson Day
April 5	Walk to Work Day
April 6	National Carbonara Day
April 7	World Health Day
April 10	National Siblings Day Encourage a Young Writer Day
April 11	National Pet Day
April 12	International Day of Human Space Flight
April 15	National Tax Day
April 16	National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day
April 17	Haiku Poetry Day
April 18	National Columnists’ Day
April 20	National Look-Alike Day
April 21	National High-Five Day National Administrative Professionals Day World Creativity and Innovation Day
April 22	Earth Day
April 23	World Book Day
April 25	National Telephone Day
April 27	Denim Day
April 28	National Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day National Superhero Day
April 29	International Dance Day & World Wish Day
April 30	National Honesty Day National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day International Jazz Day

May

May 1	International Workers Day May Day
May 2	World Password Day
May 4	Star Wars Day
May 5	Cinco de Mayo World Password Day World Laughter Day
May 6	Space Day
May 9	Europe Day
May 11	National Receptionist Day
May 12	National Nurses Day Mother’s Day
May 15	International Day of Families
May 16	Love a Tree Day
May 17	International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia National Bike to Work Day
May 18	International Museum Day
May 24	National Scavenger Hunt Day
May 25	National Wine Day
May 27	Heat Awareness Day & Memorial Day
May 28	Hamburger Day
May 29	Paperclip Day

June

June 1	International Children’s Day Global Day of Parents
June 2	National Leave the Office Early Day
June 3	World Bicycle Day
June 5	World Environment Day
June 6	National Higher Education Day
June 7	National Doughnut Day
June 8	World Oceans Day National Best Friends Day
June 14	World Blood Donor Day
June 16	Father’s Day
June 19	Juneteenth (Freedom Day)
June 20	First Day of Summer
June 21	International Yoga Day National Selfie Day World Music Day
June 27	National Sunglasses Day
June 30	Social Media Day

July

July 1	International Joke Day
July 2	World UFO Day
July 4	Independence Day (United States)
July 7	World Chocolate Day
July 11	Cheer Up the Lonely Day
July 14	Bastille Day – National Day in France
July 15	Give Something Away Day
July 17	World Emoji Day
July 18	World Listening Day Nelson Mandela International Day
July 21	National Ice Cream Day
July 24	Tell an Old Joke Day
July 30	International Day of Friendship

August

August 1	World Wide Web Day Respect for Parents Day
August 2	National Coloring Book Day
August 8	International Cat Day
August 9	National Book Lovers Day
August 10	National Lazy Day
August 11	National Sons and Daughters Day
August 12	International Youth Day World Elephant Day
August 13	International Lefthanders Day
August 14	National Financial Awareness Day
August 15	National Relaxation Day
August 16	National Tell a Joke Day
August 19	World Photo Day World Humanitarian Day
August 20	National Lemonade Day
August 26	National Dog Day National Women’s Equality Day

September

September 1	World Letter Writing Day
September 2	Labor Day
September 5	International Day of Charity
September 6	National Lazy Mom’s Day Read a Book Day
September 8	International Literacy Day
September 11	National Day of Service and Remembrance
September 12	National Video Games Day
September 18	International Equal Pay Day
September 21	International Day of Peace
September 22	Hobbit Day First Day of Fall
September 27	World Tourism Day
September 30	International Podcast Day

October

October 1	International Coffee Day World Vegetarian Day
October 2	International Day of Nonviolence
October 3	National Techies Day
October 4	National Taco Day World Animal Day World Smile Day
October 5	World Teachers Day
October 8	World Octopus Day
October 10	World Mental Health Day World Sight Day
October 14	National Dessert Day
October 15	Global Handwashing Day
October 16	Bosses Day World Food Day
October 24	United Nations Day
October 25	Greasy Foods Day
October 30	Checklist Day
October 31	Halloween

November

November 1	World Vegan Day National Authors Day
November 4	National Candy Day
November 8	Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine (STEM) Day
November 13	World Kindness Day
November 14	World Diabetes Day
November 16	International Day for Tolerance
November 17	International Students Day
November 19	International Men’s Day National Entrepreneurs Day
November 20	Universal Children’s Day
November 21	World Hello Day
November 28	Thanksgiving Day
November 29	Black Friday
November 30	Small Business Saturday Computer Security Day

December

December 1	World AIDS Day
December 2	Cyber Monday
December 3	International Day of Persons with Disabilities
December 4	National Cookie Day
December 5	World Soil Day International Ninja Day
December 8	Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day
December 10	International Human Rights Day International Animal Rights Day Nobel Prize Day
December 11	International Mountain Day
December 21	First Day of Winter
December 23	Festivus
December 24	Christmas Eve
December 25	Christmas Day Hanukkah Begins
December 31	New Year’s Eve

Sure, you’re equal parts excited and intimidated (make no mistakes, doing fresh content around all these holidays will demand mental horsepower). 

At the outset, you may even have two valid objections to adopting a holidays calendar based content-approach for your social media accounts:

1. This sounds like a lot of work; is it worth the effort?
2. Given every brand would use the same calendar, does this make us look ‘average’ and ‘ordinary’?

Let’s address the first of these objections, and in doing so, we hope to have answered the second one too. 

Is planning a social media content calendar based on holidays worth it?

The quick answer is: yes, planning a content calendar is 100% worth it. 

Why? Let’s find out. 

By design, the ‘social media holidays’ approach takes care of your content plan for the year.

With a social media holiday calendar for 2024, you won’t have to create and share content at the last minute. 

You can plan ahead and batch-build your content. This saves you precious time in the long run.

At the same time, the social media holidays approach forces you to be consistent

Regular posting is crucial for audience engagement. A calendar ensures a steady stream of content. This keeps your brand at the forefront of your followers’ minds.

This approach promotes efficiency in how you prepare and schedule content for your socials

With a social media holiday calendar, team members can see the content pipeline, plan accordingly, and avoid duplicate efforts. We’ve seen it so many times; when you’re planning content for March (for instance), you’d hit upon some great ideas to use in October. This is so much better than dealing with the stress of an empty Google Sheet on the first day of the month. 

This approach means you can experiment with different content formats in a balanced way

When we audit our clients’ Facebook content history, it’s common for us to find the content skewed towards a particular theme and type. That’s because the team or individual in charge of the account has no mechanism to challenge themselves to experiment in a deliberate yet balanced way. 

We’ve always found that the decision to adopt a social media holiday calendar for a year naturally brings a spirit for experimentation. 

With a holidays calendar,  you can strike a balance between different types of content. You can create a perfect mix of promotional messages, industry insights, and engaging content. (Think polls, quizzes, or user-generated content). 

Next up, we share some tips that can help you blend the social media holidays calendar into your content mix. 

7 Tips for planning your social media holiday calendar

Now you know what holidays/events you can add to your social media holiday calendar. Remember, this holiday calendar will be a big part of your content calendar. Of course, the content calendar is the bigger unit. 

Now, time for some tips to help you plan your social media content calendar for 2024. You can use the same method for any other year too. 

Be yourself

Make sure your holiday posts fit your brand’s personality. For example, say your brand promotes sustainability. Mindlessly urging people to shop more just because it is ‘some special day’ won’t help. Instead, you can share tips to celebrate the day in an eco-friendly way.

Do more than just sales 

Don’t just hawk your wares. Special days and holidays are all about fun. So show some behind-the-scenes action, share what your fans are up to, or run a fun holiday challenge. 

Starbucks is one brand that gets this right. Their festive cup designs are a whole thing on social media. And that’s way more interesting than just announcing new drinks.

Involve your audience 

Social media isn’t a one-way channel. Instead of blasting content, get users to engage with your brand on social media. Running campaigns that urge users to post branded content helps.

Then you can repost their posts to build loyalty and social proof during the holiday season. 

Tell a story

Make people feel something with your posts. Special days and the holiday season are all about feelings. So don’t shy away from using emotions in your social media holiday calendar.

You can take cues from John Lewis. Every year, they come up with a beautiful ad that tells a touching story. It’s not just about selling stuff. It’s about capturing the true spirit of the holidays – love, friendship, and the joy of giving. 

Jump on trends

You have a holiday post created in advance. But don’t forget to tweak it, if needed, as per the latest trends. Pay attention to trending topics and hashtags during the holidays. Include that trend in your social media posts. 

Make it shareable

Create stuff that people can’t wait to share with their friends. Run contests, polls, or quizzes to get people talking and spread the word about your brand. 

T-Mobile’s #GivingTWOgether campaign is a good example. They embraced the spirit of giving during the holiday season. How? By encouraging people to nominate someone for a holiday surprise. That’s how they got a lot of shares and engagement on their posts.

Measure and monitor

Don’t forget to keep track of how your social media posts are doing during special events and holidays. 

See what gets likes and shares, and what flops. Use this info to tweak your strategy as you go. 

Final Word

Planning to use this social media holiday calendar? 

Don’t hesitate. Don’t wait. Don’t second-guess. Just do it. 

Don’t stop at social posts. Roll out the flavor of social media holidays to your ads and emails too. 

Don’t do it in halves. Go all in. 

Need help create a comprehensive content calendar that can feed your social media marketing and email marketing efforts? Ask us for a no-obligations conversation and see how we’ve done exactly this for so many brands. 

FAQs

How far in advance should I plan my social media content?

It depends on your content mix. 

Ideally, aim for a 2-month buffer for evergreen content (topics that stay relevant).

For time-bound content, based on your social media holiday calendar, have at least a month’s worth of content pre-planned. 

This gives you time to create high-quality content, schedule posts, and jump on new trends that come up. 

What are the best times to post on social media?

The best times to post on social media vary by platform. Generally, the following times are known to work best: 

Weekdays:

• Mornings: 8-10 AM
• Evenings: 6-9 PM

Weekends:

• 11 AM – 5 PM

Remember: Keep experimenting with posting times. Use the in-built platform analytics tools to see what works best for your audience. 

Should I sync my email marketing with my social media holiday calendar?

Yes, absolutely! Social media posts and marketing emails can be a powerful combo. 

You can create content for social media and emails based on the social media holiday calendar. Some tips for that include: 

• Tease upcoming promotions with email hints. Then build social media buzz with fun, holiday-themed content. 
• When the big day arrives, announce your offer on both platforms. Use social media to drive traffic to targeted email landing pages and vice versa. 

Should I run Meta ads based on the social media holiday calendar?

Meta Ads can supercharge your holiday efforts. 

Holidays are some of the busiest times on social media. So Facebook and Instagram ads along with organic content can help beat competition. 

Plus, it helps make your ads more relevant and engaging. This is because they tie into topics that people are already talking about online. 

When you join in on these conversations through your ads, you can get more people interested in your brand and increase interaction.

Is it necessary to create content for every holiday in the social media holiday calendar?

Absolutely not. You do not have to create content for every single holiday in the social media holiday calendar. 

Instead, you should focus on the holidays that 

• Align with your brand values, 
• Most relevant to your industry, 
• Resonate with your audience, and 
• Provide opportunities to engage meaningfully. 

Quality over quantity is key when it comes to creating holiday-themed content.