May Holidays & Quirky Celebrations (2023)

Fifth in my monthly series on celebration-worthy moments, below you’ll find a lengthy list of May Holidays and Quirky Celebrations. I hope these posts will help you make every month more memorable this year.

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.

May Holidays and Quirky Celebrations

May 1

• May Day
• Loyalty Day
• National Foster Care Day
• Lei Day (Hawaii) – When my army son was stationed in Hawaii, he brought all of us fresh leis when he picked us up from the airport.
  
  
• Mother Goose Day
• National Chocolate Parfait Day
• New Homeowners Day
• Silver Star Day
• Save the Rhino Day
• Couple Appreciation Day – a day to honor your better half
• Frequent Flyer Day – did you know you can earn free airline tickets, even if you aren’t a frequent flyer?
  
  

May 2

• Baby Day
• International Scurvy Awareness Day
• Take a Baby to Lunch Day
• Play Your Ukulele Day
• National Truffle Day
• National Life Insurance Day
• Brothers and Sisters Day – now’s the time to let your siblings know how much you appreciate them!
  
  

May 3

• Bike to School Day (Wednesday in first full week of May)
• Lumpy Rug Day
• National Chocolate Custard Day
• National Raspberry Popover Day
• Public Radio Day
• National Two Different Colored Shoes Day
• National Textiles Day
• Sun Day
• World Press Freedom Day
• Wordsmith Day – a great day to start reading Wordsmithy (one of my absolute favorite books on writing)
  
  

May 4

• National Day of Prayer (first Thursday of May) – We offer all sorts of FREE pretty, printable prayer guides to use on this May holiday… and every other day of the year!
• Star Wars Day – “May the 4th be with you!”
• Bird Day – Get a pair of binoculars and go birdwatching or color a few of our state bird printables.
• National Candied Orange Peel Day – I don’t know anything about candying orange peel, but any day’s a good day to peel an orange and eat it section by section. Go vitamin C!
• Poem on Your Pillow Day – This “Ode to a Freshly Made Bed” should do nicely. 🙂
• Petite and Proud Day
• Anti-Bullying Day
• International Firefighters’ Day
• National Kids Fitness Day – Sounds like a great day to Get Up & Go!
  
  

May 5

• International Space Day (first Friday in May)
• International Tuba Day (first Friday in May)
• School Lunch Hero Day (first Friday in May)
• Museum Lover’s Day
• National Hoagie Day
• Oyster Day
• International Midwives Day
• National Cartoonists Day
• World Math Day – How about printing out a few of our free math drills and racing to see who can finish them first?
• Cinco de Mayo – Bring on the Mexican food, starting with the World’s Best Pico de Gallo!
  
  

May 6

• National Scrapbooking Day (first Saturday in May) – an opportune time for working on family scrapbooks and photo albums
• Kentucky Derby Day (fist Saturday in May) – “Bet my money on the bobtail nag. Somebody bet on the bay.”
• No Homework Day
• National Tourist Appreciation Day
• World Password Day
• National No Diet Day
• Beverage Day – How about a fresh fruit smoothie?
• National Nurses Day – As the mother of a nurse and two nursing students, I approve of this May holiday!

May 7

• International Bereaved Mother’s Day (first Sunday in May)
• International Permaculture Day (first Sunday in May)
• World Laughter Day (first Sunday in May)
• National Tourism Day

May 8

• No Socks Day – I vote for skipping the shoes, as well. ?
• Iris Day – Such beautiful flowers!
• National Coconut Cream Pie Day
• V-E Day
• World Red Cross Day
• Free Trade Day – For an excellent contrast between communism and free market societies, check out Economics for Everyone. These video lessons are explained in language the whole family can understand.
  
  

May 9

• Teacher Appreciation Day (Tuesday of the first full week of May) – Whether your kids attend public, private, or homeschool, let their teachers know you appreciate all they do to further their education
• Lost Sock Memorial Day
• Tear the Tags off the Mattress Day
• Peter Pan Day – how about screening Peter Pan (either the live action or animated version) or reading the story aloud?
• National Butterscotch Brownie Day
• Hooray for Buttons Day – For some fun button craft ideas, peruse my “Cute as a Button” Board on Pinterest
  
  

May 10

• International Receptionist Day (second Wednesday in May)
• National Night Shift Workers Day (second Wednesday in May)
• National Small Business Day
• Trust Your Intuition Day – Be careful! Sometimes your heart and intuition can lead you astray. But if you are a Christian, you should definitely listen for the promptings of the Holy Spirit
• Clean up Your Room Day – If your kids have a hard time cleaning their rooms up to your standards, give them one of our Bedroom Inspection Checklists. They’ll have it spit-spot in no time.
  
  

May 11

• Make a Book Day (observed on Thursday of National Family Reading Week — first full week of May)
• Eat What You Want Day – But remember, “Moderation in all things.”
• Twilight Zone Day
• Hostess Cupcake Day – Don’t forget to stock up on this iconic snack with the curlicue icing if you plan to celebrate this May holiday.

May 12

• Fintastic Friday (second Friday in May) – This day is meant to “give sharks, skates, and rays a voice.” Sounds like the perfect occasion to watch Finding Nemo or maybe even a Vid-Angel version of Jaws or The Meg.
• Shades Day (closest Friday to May 15) – Time to rock those sunglasses!
• Military Spouses Appreciation Day (Friday before Mother’s Day)
• National Public Gardens Day (Friday before Mother’s Day) – If you are fortunate enough to live near a public garden, today would be a great day to visit. If not, check this listing to find arboretums and botanical gardens across the nation.
• Odometer Day – We’ve never actually celebrated this May holiday, although my husband has a mini-celebration anytime our car odometer rolls over to a round or repeating number, like 25,000 miles or 33,333 miles. He makes us all watch if we’re together (which is difficult if you aren’t in the driver’s seat) and has even been known to take photos of the reading to post in our family group chat. Ha!
• International Nurses Day
• National Nutty Fudge Day – Fantasy fudge is my favorite!
• Fatigue Syndrome Day
• Limerick Day – This would be an opportune time to try your hand at limerick writing. Here’s one of mine:
  
  

  

  

May 13

• International Migratory Bird Day (second Saturday in May)
• American Indian Day (second Saturday in May)
• Letter Carrier’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Day (second Saturday in May)
• National Miniature Golf Day (second Saturday in May)
• National Babysitter’s Day (Saturday in first full week of May)
• Birthmother’s Day (Saturday before Mother’s Day)
• Brunch for Lunch Day (Saturday before Mother’s Day) – You’ll find all my favorite brunch food recipes here.
  
  

• Frog Jumping Day – This May holiday provides the perfect time for playing leap-frog or doing lots of other frog-themed activities.
• National Miniature Golf Day – Putt-Putt, anyone?
• International Hummus Day – Yum!
• Cough Drop Day
• National Fruit Cocktail Day – Buy some grapes and berries and make a fresh fruit salad of your own.
• Top Gun Day
• Tulip Day
• National Apple Pie Day – A slice of warm apple pie with a scoop of ice cream? Mmmm-mmm! I could really go for that on this May holiday.
• Leprechaun Day – A great excuse to have another Leprechaun Lunch!
  

May 14

• Mother’s Day (second Sunday in May) – We have lots of great FREE printable resources for Mother’s Dayy! Check them out.
• Dance Like a Chicken Day
• National Buttermilk Biscuit Day
• Underground America Day
• The Stars and Stripe Forever Day – Use this opportunity to make sure your kids know the words to the U.S. pledge and our national anthem.
  
  

May 15

• National Senior Fraud Awareness Day
• Nylon Stockings Day
• Straw Hat Day
• Bring Flowers to Someone Day
• National Chocolate Chip Day – Not to be confused with National Chocolate Chip COOKIE Day, which is August 4. So maybe today, we should just eat them straight?
• Police Officer’s Memorial Day – Blue Lives Matter and deserve our prayers, support, and respect!
• Astronomy Day
• International Day of Families – Here are a few benefits of having a big one!
  
  

May 16

• Dinosaur Day (third Tuesday in May and on June 1) – Provides the perfect excuse for rewatching Jurassic Park.
• Love a Tree Day – Fertilize an old tree, water a thirsty tree, or plant a new tree. The string a hammock and relax in the shade!
• National Sea Monkey Day
• Biographer’s Day – Want to get your kids interested in reading biographies? Try Janet & Geoff Benge’s series.
• Wear Purple for Peace Day
• International Day of Light – Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world,” as us noted in this coloring page.
  
  

May 17

• Pack Rat Day
• National Cherry Cobbler Day
• National Walnut Day

May 18

• I Love Reese’s Day – Reese’s Bars, Reece’s Pieces, Peanut Butter Cups — any of those sound good to me!/li>
• International Museum Day
• National Visit Your Relatives Day
• National Stress Awareness Day – For some tried & true tips on dealing with stress, follow this link.
• No Dirty Dishes Day – Don’t you just love having an empty and spotless kitchen sink? This is one May holiday I’d like to celebrate 365 days a year!
  

May 19

• National Bike to Work Day (third Friday in May) – We celebrated “Bike to School Day” earlier this month, but for those of us who are no longer students, there’s also “Bike to Work Day.” (Of course, if you’re a teacher, you could celebrate both!)
• Endangered Species Day (third Friday in May)
• National Pizza Party Day (third Friday in May) – Order a pizza or bake your own at home.
• NASCAR Day (third Friday in May)
• O. Henry Pun-Off Day (third Friday in May)
• Celebrate Your Elected Officials Day
• National Endangered Species Day
• Boy’s Club Day
• May Ray Day – Browse our list of 50 Fun Things to Do Outdoors, then go outside and soak up some sunbeams

May 20

• Armed Forces Day (third Saturday in May) – Celebrate by singing our military anthems and praying for our soldiers.
• Plant a Lemon Tree Day (third Saturday in May)
• World Fiddle Day (third Saturday in May)
• National Learn to Swim Day (third Saturday in May)
• Eliza Doolittle Day – Why not watch My Fair Lady to celebrate this May holiday?
• Be a Millionaire Day – Easier said than done!
• Pick Strawberries Day
• National Quiche Lorraine Day
• World Bee Day
• Weights and Measures Day
• National Notebook Day
• Flower Day – Pick a bouquet of wildflowers, plant some perennials, or paint a picture of posies to celebrate.
  
  

May 21

• National Stepmother’s Day (Sunday after Mother’s Day)
• World Baking Day (third Sunday in May) – Bake a batch of brownies or banana bread to celebrate!
• National Memo Day
• Waiters and Waitresses Day – Show a little appreciation and leave the waitstaff a good tip.
• International Tea Day – Host a tea party and take our tea time trivia test
  
  

May 22

• International Day for Biological Diversity
• Sherlock Holmes Day
• National Vanilla Pudding Day
• National Solitaire Day
• Buy a Musical Instrument Day – If nothing else, you could invest in a recorder or a harmonica.
  
  

May 23

• Lucky Penny Day
• National Taffy Day
• World Turtle Day

May 24

• Brothers’ Day
• National Tiara Day
• National Escargot Day
• Asparagus Day
• National Scavenger Hunt Day – How about a Nature Scavenger Hunt, a Photo Safari, or a Stay-at-Home Scavenger Hunt?
  
  

May 25

• National Tap Dance Day
• National Missing Children’s Day
• Nerd Pride Day
• Brown Bag It Day – For some crafty ways to repurpose brown paper bags, check out this post.
  
  

May 26

• Staycation Day (Friday before Memorial Day) – Follow this link for tips on planning the perfect Staycation.
• National Blueberry Cheesecake Day
• World Redhead Day – Hooray for Gingers!
• Sally Ride Day
• National Paper Airplane Day – Fold a few paper planes with family and friends, then have a contest to see whose can fly the farthest.
• World Lindy Hop Day – Look up some lessons on YouTube, crank up the music, and put your dancing shoes on!
• National Senior Health an Fitness Day – These simple calisthenics can help all ages stay limber.
  
  

May 27

• International Jazz Day (Saturday of Memorial Day weekend)
• Sun Screen Day
• National Grape Popsicle Day
• Red Nose Day
• Nothing to Fear Day
  

May 28

• Neighbor Day (8 days before the first Monday in June) – For 25 tips on being a good one, check out this post.
• Amnesty International Day
• International Hamburger Day
• National Brisket Day
• European Neighbors Day
• National Heat Awareness Day

May 29

• Memorial Day (last Monday in May) – Follow this link for resources for celebrating Memorial Day.
• Learn About Composting Day
• End of Middle Ages Day
• World Digestive Health Day
• Paper Clip Day
• National Biscuit Day – Whip up a batch of our made-from-scratch biscuit recipe, and you’ll be all set for celebrating this special holiday in style!
  
  

May 30

• Water a Flower Day
• National Creativity Day – We offer a lengthy list of ideas for encouraging creativity in young children.
  
  

May 31

• National Macaroon Day
• World No Tobacco Day
• Save Your Hearing Day
• Speak in Complete Sentences Day
• National Smile Day

Week-long Celebrations in the Month of May

First Week of May

• National Nurse’s Week (first week of May)
• Children’s Book Week (first week of May)
• National Screen Free Week (first week of May)

Second Week of May

• Wildflower Week

Third Week of May

• National Bike Week
• National Police Week

Fourth Week of May

• Emergency Medical Services Week

Special observances that last the entire month of May

• American Cheese Month
• National Egg Month
• National Vinegar Month
• Spiritual Legacy Month
• Be Kind to Animals Month
• Date Your Mate Month
• National Barbecue Month
• National Bike Month
• Foster Care Month
• National Recommitment Month
• Better Hearing and Speech Month
• National Photograph Month
• National Mental Health Month
• Latino Books Month
• Garden for Wildlife Month
• Jewish American Heritage Month
• National Blood Pressure Month
• National Hamburger Month
• Older Americans Month
• National Salad Month
• National Salsa Month
• Get Caught Reading Month

And that wraps us our May Holidays post. For more posts in this series, please follow this link: Monthly Holidays & Quirky Celebrations