Social Media Holiday Calendar 2024

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: 

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

February social media holidays calendar 2024

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

March social media holidays calendar 2024

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

April

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

May

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

June

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

July

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

August

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

September

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

October

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

November

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

December

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


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