Special Holidays & World Days ESL Lesson Plan Calendar

All around the world, people, countries and cultures celebrate different special days through the year. Some of these days are religious festivals; some are national holidays or observances. Other days may have been declared world days or international days by UNESCO to raise awareness of social issues or to commemorate important events from history. Below, you will find a calendar of these special holidays and world days and an accompanying ESL lesson plans for that event. You can use these lesson plans to create a debate for your students on the theme of the day. Days marked with an (*) show that the dates change each year.

March 2023

International Women's Day

World Consumer Rights Day

International Day of Happiness

International Day of Forests

World Water Day

World Meteorological Day

International Quit Your Crappy Job Day

May 2023

International Day Of Families

World Telecommunication & Information Society Day

International Museum Day

World Day For Cultural Diversity For Dialogue And Development

International Day for Biological Diversity

August 2023

International Beer Day *

World Photography Day

International Day Against Nuclear Tests

September 2023

Zero Waste Week *

Brazilian Independence Day

International Beauty Day

International Talk Like A Pirate Day

International Day of Peace

World Car-Free Day

World Pharmacists Day

World Dream Day

International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

October 2023

International Day of Coffee

World Habitat Day*

German Unity Day

Christopher Columbus Day / Indigenous Peoples' Day *

World Day Against the Death Penalty

National Day of Spain

International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction

World Food Day

International Internet Day

World Savings Day

December 2023

World Computer Literacy Day

International Day of Banks

International Volunteer Day

International Civil Aviation Day

Pretend To Be A Time Traveller Day

International Anti-Corruption Day

International Animal Rights Day

Universal Health Coverage Day

International Migrants Day