Welcome to this month’s “Looking Ahead” feature…taking a look at the events, occasions and anniversaries in the month of May 2022 that smart marketers can use as the reason for a marketing promotion.
In May 2022…
…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 8.
“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 1 – World Laughter Day (first Sunday in May)
May 3 – World Press Freedom Day
May 3 – World Asthma Day (first Tuesday in May)
May 4 – International Firefighters Day
May 5 – International Midwives Day
May 5 – Cinco De Mayo (Mexican holiday often observed in the USA)
May 5 – Password Day (first Thursday in May)
May 6 – International Space Day (first Friday in May)
May 8 – Mother’s Day (USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, most countries in the British Commonwealth outside the UK, northern Europe)
May 8 – World Red Cross And Red Crescent Day
May 8 – Anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day
May 9 – Europe Day
May 12 – International Nurses Day (on the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale in 1820)
May 13 – Leprechaun Day
May 15 – International Day Of Families
May 16 – Biographers Day
May 17 – World Telecommunication And Information Society Day
May 18 – International Museum Day
May 19 – Notebook Day (third Thursday in May)
May 20 – Be A Millionaire Day
May 20 – Endangered Species Day (third Friday in May)
May 21 – World Whisky Day (third Saturday in May)
May 21 – International Tea Day
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 5 – National Day of Prayer
May 5 – West Virginia Day of Prayer (West Virginia)
May 6 – National Nurses Day
May 6 – Military Spouse Appreciation Day
May 8 – Mother’s Day
May 8 – Truman Day (Missouri)
May 9 – Truman Day observed (Missouri)
May 10 – Confederate Memorial Day (North Carolina, South Carolina)
May 13 – Native American Day (Wyoming)
May 15 – Peace Officers Memorial Day
May 20 – National Defense Transportation Day
May 21 – Armed Forces Day
May 21 – Public Lands Day (Colorado)
May 22 – National Maritime Day
May 22 – Harvey Milk Day (California)
May 30 – Memorial Day (also known as Decoration Day in some places)
May 30 – 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 7) and the Indy 500 (May 29).
In Canada…
May 8 – Mother’s Day
May 23 – Victoria Day (All except NS, PE, QC)
May 23 – National Patriots’ Day (Quebec)
May 26 – Ascension Day
In the UK…
May 2 – Early May Bank Holiday
May 9 – Liberation Day (Guernsey, Jersey)
May 26 – Ascension Day
Also…it’s “National Smile Month” from May 13 to June 12 in 2022. 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 sports…the FA Cup Final takes place on May14.
UPDATE: May 27 is “National Fish and Chip Day”…enjoy!
In Australia…
May 2 – Labour Day/May Day (Northern Territory)
May 8 – Mother’s Day
May 26 – Ascension Day
May 26 – National Sorry Day
May 30 – Reconciliation Day (ACT)
That’s it for this month. Wishing you every success with your event-driven marketing in May 2022!