Welcome to this month’s “Looking Ahead” feature…taking a look at the events, occasions and anniversaries in the month of May 2021 that smart marketers can use as the reason for a marketing promotion.
In May 2021…
…two notable occasions are…
…firstly “May Day” (May 1, of course)…
…and then in most places (apart from the UK) “Mother’s Day”, which this year falls on Sunday May 9.
“May Day” (May 1) is an occasion widely observed in the northern hemisphere and originally was a pagan festival linked to Spring and fertility.
Wikipedia has more about May Day traditions…
…including in the UK the May Pole, the May Queen and Morris Dancing.
Like many originally pagan festivals, May Day has been co-opted by the Church and in many Catholic countries May is a month honouring the Virgin Mary.
In the modern era, May Day has also come to be known as “International Workers’ Day” and associated with the labour movement.
Also in May…
…we have “Be A Millionaire Day” on May 20! This is a day to think and dream about what it would be like to be a millionaire.
It’s understood that the term “millionaire” was first used in the English language by Lord Byron in a letter written in 1816. At the time, there were only a handful of millionaires. Today it’s reckoned there are more than 13 million millionaires scattered around the globe. The origins of “Be a Millionaire Day” are not clear, but the day honours the desire to enjoy the freedom and power associated with being financially secure.
Here’s a more detailed list of events…
May 1 – May Day (also “Lei Day” in Hawaii), International Workers’ Day
May 2 – World Laughter Day (first Sunday in May)
May 3 – World Press Freedom Day
May 4 – International Firefighters Day
May 4 – World Asthma Day (first Tuesday in May)
May 5 – International Midwives Day
May 5 – Cinco De Mayo (Mexican holiday often observed in the USA)
May 5 – World Maths Day
May 6 – Password Day (first Thursday in May)
May 7 – International Space Day (first Friday in May)
May 8 – World Red Cross And Red Crescent Day
May 8 – Anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day
May 9 – Europe Day
May 9 – Mother’s Day (USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, most countries in the British Commonwealth outside the UK, northern Europe)
May 12 – International Nurses Day (on the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale in 1820)
May 13 – Leprechaun Day
May 13 – Numeracy Day
May 15 – International Day Of Families
May 15 – International Astronomy Day
May 15 – World Whisky Day (third Saturday in May)
May 16 – Biographers Day
May 17 – World Telecommunication And Information Society Day
May 18 – International Museum Day
May 20 – Be A Millionaire Day
May 20 – Notebook Day
May 21 – Endangered Species Day (third Friday in May)
May 21 – World Day Of Cultural Diversity
May 22 – World Day Of Biological Diversity
May 22 – World Goth Day
May 22 – Sherlock Holmes Day
May 23 – World Meteorological Day
May 23 – Mesmerism Day (anniversary of the birth of Franz Mesmer)
May 23 – World Turtle Day
May 25 – Geek Pride Day
May 26 – Dracula Day
May 27 – Cellophane Tape Day
May 27 – World Product Day
May 28 – Hamburger Day
May 29 – Paper Clip Day
May 31 – World “No Tobacco” Day
Also…”Star Wars” Day is observed in May among aficionados…but the actual day is up for debate. The most widely recognised day is May 4…but there’s also May 14 (anniversary of the birth of George Lucas)…and May 25 (anniversary of the launch of the first movie in 1977).
Moving on to country-specific events…
In the USA…
May 1 – Law Day (also Loyalty Day)
May 1 – Lei Day (Hawaii)
May 4 – Kent State Shootings Remembrance (Ohio)
May 4 – Rhode Island Independence Day (Rhode Island)
May 5 – Cinco de Mayo
May 6 – National Nurses Day
May 6 – National Day of Prayer
May 7 – Military Spouse Appreciation Day
May 7 – Truman Day observed (Missouri)
May 8 – Truman Day (Missouri)
May 9 – Mother’s Day
May 10 – Confederate Memorial Day (North Carolina, South Carolina)
May 14 – Native American Day (Wyoming)
May 15 – Peace Officers Memorial Day
May 15 – Armed Forces Day
May 17 – Tax Day
May 21 – National Defense Transportation Day
May 22 – National Maritime Day
May 22 – Harvey Milk Day (California)
May 31 – Memorial Day
May 31 – Jefferson Davis Birthday (Mississippi)
Note that on 8 May 1914 the US Congress designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day in the USA and the first national Mother’s Day was celebrated on May 9 that year.
In sports…May sees a couple of major sporting occasions in the USA…the Kentucky Derby (May 1) and the Indy 500 (May 30).
In Canada…
May 9 – Mother’s Day
May 13 – Ascension Day
May 24 – Victoria Day (All except NS, PE, QC)
May 24 – National Patriots’ Day (Quebec)
May 24 – Whit Monday
In the UK…
May 3 – Early May Bank Holiday
May 9 – Liberation Day (Guernsey, Jersey)
May 13 – Ascension Day
May 31 – Spring Bank Holiday
Also…it’s “National Smile Month” from May 17 to June 17 in 2021. Primarily to promote better oral health, you could adapt this for other ideas (along the lines of greater happiness, simply spreading good cheer and that sort of thing).
In Australia…
May 3 – Labour Day/May Day (Northern Territory)
May 9 – Mother’s Day
May 13 – Ascension Day
May 26 – National Sorry Day
May 31 – Reconciliation Day (ACT)
That’s it for this month. Wishing you every success with your event-driven marketing in May 2021!