February Holidays & Quirky Celebrations (2024)

In keeping with my promise to publish a wide assortment of celebration-worthy moments each month, here is a lengthy list of February Holidays and Quirky Celebrations. I want to make every month more memorable this year. Are you with me?

You’ll notice that some items on this list are linked to other pages. Click through for ideas and resources to help your family get the most out of each occasion.

February holidays and quirky celebrations

February 1

• National Freedom Day
• Change Your Password Day – I know this is a hassle, but probably a good practice from time to time. Just make sure you write the new passwords down in a safe place.
• National Dark Chocolate Day – Yum! No excuse needed to indulge in dark chocolate!
• Hula in the Coola Day
• National Get Up Day
• Robinson Crusoe Day – Why not watch the tale of Crusoe’s Swiss cousins in Swiss Family Robinson?
• Decorating with Candy Day

February 2

• Bubble Gum Day (first Friday in February) – Buy a big bucket of bubble gum and stage a bubble blowing contest.
• Ground Hog Day – Our family celebrates this February holiday by making groundhog pudding cups and watching Bill Murray and Andie McDowell in Groundhog Day.
• Candlemas
• California Kiwifruit Day
• Tater Tot Day
• World Ukulele Day
• Sled Dog Day – The best way to celebrate this holiday would be by traveling far enough north to actually go dog sledding, as a few of my adult children did a few years ago. Second best way is by playing Top Dog and reading or watching Call of the Wild.
• Wetlands Day
• Crêpe Day – Today would be the perfect time to try our Create-Your-Own Crêpe recipe.

  

February 3

• American Painters Day
• National Girls and Women in Sports Day – I guess this one’s a moot point now that biological males are allowed to compete alongside the girls.
• National Wedding Ring Day
• World Read Aloud Day – Here are a few of our family’s favorites for reading aloud.
• International Fake Mustache Day – Celebrate this quirky February holiday by taking our Mustache Trivia Quiz — and find out how much you know about lip hair.

  

February 4

• Create a Vacuum Day – I’d settle for having my kids USE a vacuum today! 🙂
• Thank a Mailman Day – Write a note of appreciation to your mail carrier on one of our free printable Thank You cards and attach it to a bag of cookies.
• National Stuffed Mushroom Day
• Rosa Parks Day
• World Cancer Day
• National Homemade Soup Day – Try a bowl of our creamy potato soup or marvelous minestrone.

  

February 5

• National Fondue Day
• California Western Monarch Day – Download a copy of our butterfly coloring page or visit a butterfly garden.
• National Weatherman’s Day
• Robot Day

February 6

• Ronald Reagan Day – Read through several of Reagan’s pithy quotes and download a coloring page based on one of my personal favorites.
• Pay-a-Compliment Day – Try to encourage everyone you meet today with genuine words of praise (not empty flattery).
• International Frozen Yogurt Day
• Lame Duck Day
• Safer Internet Day
• Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day – My dad used to feed me and my sister ice cream for breakfast routinely. Maybe that’s why we did so well in school. 🙂

  

February 7

• Ballet Day
• National Periodic Table Day – I can’t think of a more opportune time or putting together this Elements jigsaw puzzle
• National Fettuccine Day
• Rose Day
• “e” Day
• Wave All you Fingers at Your Neighbor Day – Just don’t stick your thumbs in your ears when you do it!
• Send a Card to a Friend Day – Don’t have a card handy to send? Use one of our free printable greeting cards. I even included an envelope template.

  

February 8

• Opera Day
• Boy Scout Day – Always be prepared! This holiday celebrates the birthday of scouting.
• National Kite Flying Day
• Propose Day – Do you have any sons of marriageable age? This might be the perfect day to pop the question! (For pointers on how NOT to go about it, have them read this post: The Wrong Way to Propose Marriage)

  

February 9

• International Bike to Work Day (second Friday in February)
• Read in the Bathtub Day – I do this almost daily, no special holiday required!
• National Pizza Pie Day!!!
• Toothache Day
• Chocolate Day – Hooray! Another excuse to eat chocolate. These fudge brownies will serve the purpose!

  

February 10

• National Cream Cheese Brownie Day
• Teddy Day – This would be the perfect occasion to eat Teddy Bear Toast for breakfast!
• Umbrella Day
• National Flannel Day – Here’s a February holiday we can really get behind, perfect for taking “Flanders Family Flannel Fotos,” like this one:

  

February 11

• Superbowl Sunday (date varies — usually second Sunday in February)
• Get Out Your Guitar Day
• National Inventor’s Day
• National Peppermint Patty Day
• Grandmother Achievement Day
• National Shut-in Visitation Day – Or, if you can’t go in person, give them a call to let them know you’re thinking about them.
• National Don’t Cry over Spilled Milk Day
• White T-Shirt Day
• National Make a Friend Day – To have a faithful friend, be one
• International Day of Women and Girls in Science – Maybe spend this one doing STEM activities with your daughters? Timberdoodle offers lots of great STEM and STEAM kits, and Kiwi Company offers a fun subscription service geared toward science and art.

  

February 12

• Clean out Your Computer Day (second Monday in February) – If your computer is as packed with old files and overflowing emails as mine normally is, this job might take more time than a single February holiday allows. So don’t get sucked so far into that rabbit hole that you can’t come up for air!
• National Lost Penny Day
• Hug Day – people supposedly need a minimum of seven hugs a day for optimal health
• Plum Pudding Day
• Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday – We have lots of free printables and other fun ideas to help you celebrate this February holiday. Download them here: Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln

  

February 13

• Mardi Gras (observed 47 days before Easter) – This February holiday is also known as Fat Tuesday
• International Pancake Day (47 days before Easter) – Try making our orange-cranberry pancakes at home or, if you don’t feel like cooking, head to IHOP for free pancakes (but first confirm the date on their website)
• National Tortellini Day
• World Radio Day
• Galentine’s Day – This is a day set aside for celebrating female friendship. (Or, if you’re a guy trying to honor your buddies, call it Palentine’s Day).
• National Cheddar Day
• Get a Different Name Day
• Kiss Day – If you’re married, you might want to celebrate this February holiday all year long, since kissing packs some powerful health benefits. Don’t have a spouse? Celebrate with some Hershey’s kisses. Dark chocolate is supposed to be good for your health, too! 😉

  

February 14

• Ash Wednesday (observed 46 days before Easter)
• Frederick Douglass Day – Celebrate by reading a biography of Douglass’s life. (My kids have really enjoyed reading the books in the “Who Is?” series).
• International Book Giving Day – You know what they say: “A book is a gift you can open again and again.”
• Library Lovers Day
• League of Women Voters Day
• Read to Your Child Day Need suggestions? These picture books for Valentine’s Day would be a smart place to start.
• Ferris Wheel Day
• National Organ Donor Day
• Valentine’s Day – There is no shortage of Valentine printables on our website: cards, tracts, stickers, coloring pages — you name it. Browse through them all here: Free Resources for celebrating Valentine’s Day

  

February 15

• Annoy Squidward Day – Celebrate this February holiday by watching a couple episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants
• National Hippo Day
• Susan B. Anthony Day
• National Gum Drop Day
• Singles Awareness Day

February 16

• Do a Grouch a Favor Day
• National Almond Day – Eat them hickory smoked, cocoa dusted, or flavored with sea salt & vinegar
• National Innovation Day

February 17

• World Whale Day (third Saturday in February)
• Random Acts of Kindness Day – Use our Kindness Punch Cards to encourage kids to get in the habit of showing kindness to everyone around them
• National Cabbage Day
• National Public Science Day

February 18

• National Battery Day – Today is the birthday of the Italian physicist, Allesandro Volta, who invented the battery.
• Pluto Discovery Day
• Thumb Appreciation Day – Celebrate this February holiday by reading Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb today (I’ve read that one so many times over the years that I can quote it all from memory)
• National Caregivers Day (third Friday in February) – We have a free printable chart to help caregivers do a good job, too.

  

February 19

• National Chocolate Mint Day
• Prevent Plagiarism Day – One of the best resources I’ve found to help writers avoid both plagiarism and common grammar mistakes is Grammarly.
• Iwo Jima Day
• International Tug-of-War Day

February 20

• National Cherry Pie Day
• National Student Volunteer Day
• Clean Out Your Bookcase Day
• Love Your Pet Day
• National Muffin Day – We’ve posted recipes for blueberry muffins, raisin bran muffins, pecan pie muffins, and egg muffins — so take your pick!

  

February 21

• National Card Reading Day – No, this holiday has nothing to do with fortune telling. The cards celebrants read on this day are of the handwritten variety. Do you keep special greeting cards and letters loved ones have sent to you in the past? Today is the day to reread those treasured keepsakes and remember why you tucked them away in the first place.
• International Mother Language Day
• National Sticky Bun Day – We’ve got a sticky bun recipe on the webiste, as well. Yum!
• National Grain-Free Day
• Single Tasking Day
• Presidents’ Day (third Monday of month) – We have many great printables for Presidents’ Day on our website, too. Access them here: Presidents’ Day Printables

  

February 22

• • Digital Learning Day (Last Thursday in February)
  • National Chili Day (fourth Thursday in February)
  • George Washington’s Birthday – Try these free printables to celebrate the father of our country.
  • Be Humble Day
  • National Cook a Sweet Potato Day
  • Walking the Dog Day
  • National Wildlife Day
  • Play More Cards Day
  • International World Thinking Day
  • Recreational Sports and Fitness Day – Need creative ways to get fit as a family? Read my very own Get Up & Go

February 23

• National Skip the Straw Day (fourth Friday in February)
• Play Tennis Day
• International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day
• World Understanding and Peace Day
• National Tile Day
• Diesel Engine Day
• National Banana Bread Day – We have a tried-and-true recipe for banana nut bread, too.

  

February 24

• International Tongue Twister Day (celebrated on the last Saturday of February) –
• National Tortilla Chip Day
• National Fake Mustache Day

February 25

• Let’s All Eat Right Day
• Pistol Patent Day
• National Chocolate Covered Peanuts Day
• National Clam Chowder Day
• Quiet Day (aka National Don’t Utter a Word Day) – This would be the perfect time to play the quiet game (“Quiet water, still water, 1-2-3! See how quiet and still you can be!”) or to watch The Quiet Place

February 26

• Carnival Day
• National Pistachio Day
• Levi Strauss Day
• Thermos Bottle Day
• Tell a Fairy Tale Day

February 27

• National Retro Day – Recall life before the age of the Internet
• International Polar Bear Day
• National Strawberry Day
• National Protein Day
• No Brainer Day

February 28

• Inconvenience Yourself Day (fourth Wednesday in February)
• Car Keys and Small Change Day
• National Science Day
• Floral Design Day
• National Chocolate Soufflé Day
• Public Sleeping Day
• National Tooth Fairy Day (also celebrated on August 22)

February 29

• Bachelor’s Day
• International Underlings Day
• National Surf and Turf Day
• Leap Day – This February holiday only happens once every four years, but with our resources, you’ll be ready to read from froggy books, sing froggy songs, and make froggy food.

Weeklong Celebrations in the Month of February

First Week of February

• African Heritage and Health Week
• National Women’s Heart Week
• Solo Diners Eat Out Week
• National School Counseling Week (observed for the 5 days following the first Sunday in February)
• National Pay Your Bills Week (first full week of February) – Our bill-payment checklist can help you keep track of all of them

  

Second Week of February

• Valentine’s Week
• National Marriage Week
• Freelance Writer’s Appreciation Week
• Great American Pizza Bake
• National Hero Week
• Random Acts of Kindness Week (observed for 7 days beginning February 13th)
• National New Idea Week

Third Week of February

• Take Your Family to School Week (observed for 5 days beginning February 14th)
• National Engineer’s Week (observed the week of George Washington’s birthday)
• National Nestbox Week
• Great Backyard Bird Count (observed for 4 days ending with President’s Day

Special observances that last the entire month of February

February is the month we observe…

• American Heart Month
• Bake For Family Fun Month – It doesn’t matter what you bake — cake, cookies, biscuits, or bread — as long as you do it together, as a family.
• International Embroidery Month
• National Bird-Feeding Month – Get an up-close look with this bird feeder that attaches to your window pane. I bought my in-laws one of these last Christmas. They love it!
• Library Lovers Month
• Vegan Cuisine Month – Here’s a free printable list of 50 yummy vegan snacks. Need further motivation to purge meat from your diet? Read Dr. Michael Greger’s How Not to Die

  

• Black History Month
• Canned Food Month
• National Sweet Potato Month – A great excuse to bake some of these sweet potato fries!

  

• National Mend a Broken Heart Month
• National Time Management Month
• Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month
• National Parent Leadership Month
• Celebration of Chocolate Month
• Dog Training Education Month
• Creative Romance Month – Keep romance alive in your marriage (even amid lockdowns and social distancing) with these fun and inexpensive ways to date your mate.
• National Cherry Month – How about a pit-spitting contest to celebrate this holiday? Grab a table measure and see who of your family and friends can spit their pit the farthest.
• National Grapefruit Month
• Great American Pie Month
• National Weddings Month – Know somebody getting married? Be sure to pray for the bride and groom.
• Children’s Dental Health Month – Use our free printable Dental Hygiene Chart to help your kids establish better dental health habits this month.

  

That ends my list of February Holidays and Quirky Celebrations. If you like this post, please share it on social media — then come back next month when I publish a similar list for March.