July Holidays & Quirky Celebrations (2024)

Continuing with my monthly series on celebration-worthy moments, below you’ll find a lengthy listing of July Holidays and Quirky Celebrations. I hope these posts will help you make every month more memorable all year long.

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.

Rather than relying on memory or needing to reference this post multiple times throughout the month, I suggest making note on your calendar TODAY of any holidays that interest you and printing any related resources in advance.

July Holidays and Quirky Celebrations

July 1

• American Zoo Day – Celebrate this July holiday with a visit to your local zoo.
• Devotion to Duty Day
• Early Bird Day
• National Financial Freedom Day
• US Postage Stamp Day
• Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day – Try inventing a creative flavor of your own!
• National Ginger Snap Day – Ginger snaps are my husband’s favorite.
• International Joke Day
• Second Half of the New Year Day – Today’s a great opportunity to get back on track with your New Year’s goals.

  

July 2

• Made in the USA Day – A good reminder to BUY AMERICAN!
• I Forgot Day
• Freedom from Fear of Speaking Day
• World UFO Day – This July holiday provides a fun excuse to re-watch an alien movie. Our favorite? Signs

  

July 3

• Compliment Your Mirror Day
• National Eat Beans Day – Black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, lima beans — take your pick!
• Plastic Bag Free Day
• Stay Out of the Sun Day – Or, if you must go out, wear proper protection — and stay hydrated!
• American Redneck Day
• Disobedience Day – This is in reference to civil and social disobedience. When forced to make a choice, “We must obey God rather than man.” (Acts 5:29)

  

July 4

• National Country Music Day – If you’ve never heard Three Wooden Crosses by Randy Travis, today would be the perfect day to listen!
• Sidewalk Egg Frying Day
• Indivisible Day – “One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” That’s the goal. Just as it says in our pledge of allegiance.
• National Caesar Salad Day
• National Barbecue Day
• Independence from Meat Day – Need ideas for meatless options? Check out our 50 Vegan Snacks printable.
• Alice in Wonderland Day
• Independence Day (USA) – We have a plethora of free printables for Independence Day, including patriotic coloring pages, freedom-loving conversation starters, Fourth of July themed gospel tracts, and historical US documents. Check them out!

  

July 5

• National Graham Cracker Day – Celebrate this July holiday with s’mores or an icebox pie made with a graham cracker crust. Yum!
• Mechanical Pencil Day
• National Apple Turnover Day
• Work-a-holics Day – Don’t forget Psalm 127: “It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.”

  

July 6

• Hop a Park Day (first Saturday in July) – Pack up the kids and head to the nearest playground
• International Cherry Pit Spitting Day (first Saturday in July) – This one is self-explanatory. Bring a tape measure and make it a competition. Doug holds our family record: 39 feet!
• National Fried Chicken Day
• National Picnic Day – How about eating fried chicken on a picnic? Kill two birds with one stone.
• International Kissing Day – A good holiday to celebrate with your spouse!

  

July 7

• Build A Scarecrow Day (first Sunday in July)
• Chocolate Day – Any excuse to indulge in chocolate is good by me!
• Father Daughter Take a Walk Together Day
• National Macaroni Day
• Tell the Truth Day – We must always and only speak the truth ourselves and encourage honesty in our children, as well.
• Global Forgiveness Day – Free yourself from bitterness, resentment, and any grudges you may be nursing. Forgive freely, as God forgives us. (Ephesians 4:32)

  

July 8

• Celebrate Bugs Day
• Video Games Day
• National Freezer Pop Day – A nice way to stay cool!
• National Milk Chocolate with Almonds Day – Mmm-mmm! If anything is better than chocolate alone, it’s chocolate with almonds!
• Math 2.0 Day – Celebrate this July holiday by doing a couple of our math drills.
• National Ice Cream Sundae Day – Maybe even sponsor a build-your-own-sundae party. You provide the ice cream; guests bring favorite toppings.

  

July 9

• Cow Appreciation Day (second Tuesday in July) – Cow costume clad customers can score free food at Chick-fil-A today! (Sadly, this program was put on hold during COVID and has yet to resume.)
• National Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Omelette Day – Leave a few for the rest of the family!
• Fashion Day – More like “Fashion Fugitive Day” at our house!
• National Sugar Cookie Day – Bake a batch with our favorite sugar cookie recipe.

  

July 10

• Don’t Step on a Bee Day
• National Kitten Day – Our kitty cat coloring page fits this June holiday perfectly.
• Pick Blueberries Day – Eat them fresh off the bush or bake them into a blueberry crumble and serve with ice cream. Yum!
• Teddy Bear Picnic Day – How about serving our Teddy Bear Toast at your Teddy Bear Picnic?

  

July 11

• National 7-11 Day – Stop by your nearest 7-11 for a FREE slurpee today!
• Art & Innovation Day
• Barn Day
• National Swimming Pool Day
• All American Pet Photo Day – Snap a few pics with your precious pet.
• World Population Day
• Cheer up the Lonely Day – Here’s another coloring page designed especially for this June holiday.
• National Blueberry Muffin Day – Try these healthful blueberry oat muffins today. They’re scrumptious!

  

July 12

• World Kebab Day (second Friday in July) – Try our Honey-Glazed Chicken Kabobs… or celebrate at your nearest Mediterranean Restaurant!
• Different Colored Eyes Day
• Etch-a-Sketch Day – Try your hand at this classic child’s toy.
• National Eat Your Jello Day
• Simplicity Day – Remember to KISS: “Keep It Super Simple!”
• National Pecan Pie Day – If you don’t have time to bake a whole pie, bake a batch of our pecan pie muffins.
• Paper Bag Day– check out these clever ideas for reusing, recycling, or repurposing some paper bags

  

July 13

• Go West Day
• Embrace Your Geekness Day
• Barbershop Music Appreciation Day – I love that tight, four-part harmony!
• Beans’n’Franks Day
• Gruntled Workers Day – A day for doing chores heartily and being cheerful in your work (as opposed to disgruntled workers, who complain about their jobs)

  

July 14

• Shark Awareness Day
• National Mac & Cheese Day
• Pandemonium Day
• National Tape Measure Day – The perfect time to measure & record how tall your children have grown in the last 12 months!

  

July 15

• National Get Out of the Doghouse Day (third Monday in July) – Is anyone who holding anything against you? Today would be a great day to reconcile! (Matthew 5:23-24)
• National Give Something Away Day – Carting donations to Goodwill is one of my husband’s favorite pastimes!
• Tapioca Pudding Day
• National Pet Fire Safety Day
• Orange Chicken Day
• National Be a Dork Day
• Get to Know Your Customers Day
• Gummi Worm Day
• I Love Horses Day – “Some trust in chariots and some trust in horses, but we will remember the name of the LORD.” (Psalm 20:7)

  

July 16

• National Fresh Spinach Day – Celebrate with a nice spinach salad or spinach quiche!
• Guinnea Pig Appreciation Day
• World Snake Day
• National Personal Chef Day

July 17

• Take Your Poet to Work Day (third Wednesday in July)
• Wrong Way Corrigan Day
• World Day for International Justice
• Peach Ice Cream Day
• Yellow Pig Day
• World Emoji Day – to celebrate, challenge your friends and family to take our free printable emoji quiz

  

July 18

• Mermaid Day – Time to re-watch Disney’s Little Mermaid…
• National Sour Candy Day – But first, pick up some Sour Patch Kids to snack on during the movie.
• Perfect Family Day – There are no perfect families, but today’s a great day to be thankful for whatever family you’ve got.
• Nelson Mandella International Day
• National Caviar Day
• World Listening Day

July 19

• National Raspberry Cake Day
• Stick Out Your Tongue Day – A good day for a check-up: Stick out your tongue and say “ahhhh!”
• Global Hug Your Kids Day
• New Friends Day – Any day’s a great day for finding new friends!

  

July 20

• National Lollipop Day
• Moon Day
• Ugly Truck Day
• Nap Day – A nap a day… keeps you from falling asleep before bedtime each night.
• National Fortune Cookie Day
• World Jump Day – Jumping isn’t going to force the earth out of its orbit, but it is great exercise, so grab a jumprope or pogo stick or mount a trampoline and have at it!
• Space Exploration Day
• International Chess Day – In addition to playing 2-person chess, you can now buy 3-player and 4-player chess boards.

  

July 21

• National Ice Cream Day (third Sunday of the month)
• National Junk Food Day
• Take a Monkey to Lunch Day – perfect for reading on of my kids’ favorite picture books: The Day the Teacher Went Bananas
• National Tug-of-War Tournament Day
• National Hot Dog Day – Fire up the grill and roast some franks for lunch. And to celebrate another kind of hot dog, read Harry by the Sea.

  

July 22

• Mango Day – Mango smoothie, anyone?
• National Day of the Cowboy
• Lion’s Share Day
• Pi Approximation Day – This July holiday is observed on 7/22. Get it?
• Spoonerism Day – As the song says, “I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.”
• Ratcatcher’s Day
• Summer Leisure Day – Time to take it easy!
• National Hammock Day — String up a hammock and hang out for awhile.

July 23

• Vanilla Ice Cream Day
• Gorgeous Grandma Day
• Hot Enough for Ya Day
• Peanut Butter and Chocolate Day – Cue the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!

July 24

• National Drowning Prevention Day
• Amelia Earhart Day
• National Drive-Thru Day – Chick-fil-A, anyone?
• National Tell an Old Joke Day
• Cousins Day – If they live close by, hang out with them. If not, give them a call. Fitting book to read today? One of my favorites from childhood: Eighteen Cousins.

July 25

• National Refreshment Day (fourth Thursday of July)
• Hire a Veteran Day
• Culinarians Day
• International Red Shoe Day – No, this isn’t celebrating Dorothy’s ruby slippers. It’s a day to remember those who’ve passed away due to Lyme’s disease.
• National Hot Fudge Sundae Day
• National Carousel Day
• Threading the Needle Day – Try working in teams to do this: one person holds the needle, other hold the thread, free hands held behind the back. We played this game at a groom’s shower one year and had a blast.

July 26

• National Talk in an Elevator Day (last Friday in July) – Don’t be shy. Strike up a conversation with the person standing across from you.
• All or Nothing Day – A day to celebrate whole-hearted effort.
• Aunt and Uncle Day
• Summer Brain Day – Don’t veg out in front of a screen all summer. Keep your brain sharp (and your body active) with these tech-free activities.
• National Bagelfest Day – Celebrate by getting a baker’s dozen from Einstein’s (drastically discounted on Mondays) or making some avocado bagel sandwiches at home.

  

July 27

• National Day of the American Cowboy (fourth Saturday in July) – A good day for rewatching an old Western, such as Silverado (one of our family’s favorites)
• National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day
• Bagpipe Appreciation Day
• Take Your Pants for a Walk Day – Preferably, do this while you’re inside them!
• Take Your Houseplants for a Walk Day – The fresh air and sunshine is good for them, too!
• Walk on Stilts Day – See a theme emerging here? Walking is good for you, no matter how, when, where, or with whom you do it!

  

July 28

• Parent’s Day (fourth Sunday in July) – Pray for your parents and, if you can, spend some time with them today.
• National Milk Chocolate Day – Hooray! An excuse to eat even MORE chocolate!
• Buffalo Soldiers Day
• National Hamburger Day – For the most flavorful burgers you’ve ever tasted, mix a packet of Lipton Onion Soup in with the ground beef before shaping into patties and popping on the grill.
• National Waterpark Day
• World Nature Conservation Day

July 29

• National Lasagna Day – Try our 3-Cheese Lasagna for dinner tonight.
• National Dance Day
• International Tiger Day
• National Chili Dog Day
• Rain Day

July 30

• National Cheesecake Day
• Father-in-Law Day – Find something your father-in-law did well and commend him for it. (Here’s what I regularly praise mine for)
• Share a Hug Day
• National Whistleblower Appreciation Day
• Paperback Book Day
• World Snorkeling Day
• International Day of Friendship – Use this July holiday to celebrate and show appreciation for the friends you’ve been blessed with.

  

July 31

• National Mutt Day
• System Administrator Appreciation Day
• National Cotton Candy Day
• World Ranger Day
• National Jump for Jelly Beans Day – This jelly bean poem will give you something to jump about!
• National Avocado Day – Break out the lime and cilantro and whip up a great big batch of homemade guacamole to help celebrate this July holiday!
• National Chalk Day – Get a bucket of sidewalk chalk and go wild!

  

Week-long Celebrations in the Month of July

First Week of July

• National Barbecue Week (observed for 10 days following July 2) – Fire up the grill and get cooking!
• Clean Beaches Week
• Honor America Days (obeserved 21 days following June 14) – For inspiration, check out my God Bless America devotional journal.

  

Third Week of July

• National Moth Week (last full week and two weekends in July)
• National Triathlon Week (observed 7 days following third Monday in July)

Special observances that last the entire month of July

• National Family Reunion Month – July is a great time to reunite with family far and near!
• National Hot Dog Month
• Air Conditioning Appreciation Days (observed for 44 days beginning July 3rd)
• Plastic Free July
• National Anti-Boredom Month – If you’re at a loss for things to keep your kids engaged, try our boredom buster chart or this handy acrostic to remind them of their options.

  

• Horseradish Month
• National Peach Month
• World Watercolor Month
• Wild about Wildlife Month – Did you know I also have a devotional journal for nature lovers? I do!

  

• National Picnic Month
• Cell Phone Courtesy Month
• Ice Cream Month – “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!”
• National Blueberry Month – Find a pick-your-own farm and o berry picking this month.

  

And that wraps us our July Holidays post. For more posts in this series, please follow this link: Monthly Holidays & Quirky Celebrations And to keep the fun going through every season of life, check out our family fun bundle. It’s packed with practical ways to nurture family relationships and make the most of daily interactions all year long.