Australia awareness days and key dates

Saturday 1 August 2026

• DonateLife Week

  Awareness26 July to 2 August 2026

  Australia's national week encouraging people to register as organ and tissue donors, held from 26 July to 2 August in 2026.

• World Breastfeeding Week

  Awareness1 to 7 August 2026

  World Breastfeeding Week, 1 to 7 August, promotes breastfeeding and the support families need from communities, employers and governments.

• World Lung Cancer Day

  Awareness

  A global day on 1 August that raises awareness of lung cancer risks, screening and treatment.

Monday 3 August 2026

• Bank Holiday (NSW)

  Public holidays

  A bank holiday in New South Wales on the first Monday in August, when retail bank branches close. It is not a general public holiday.

• Homelessness Week

  Awareness3 to 9 August 2026

  A national week in early August, coordinated by Homelessness Australia, raising awareness of homelessness and the need for housing and support.

• Keep Australia Beautiful Week

  Awareness3 to 9 August 2026

  An August week run by Keep Australia Beautiful that encourages people to reduce litter and look after shared public spaces. In 2026 it ran from 3 to 9 August.

• Loneliness Awareness Week (Australia)

  Awareness3 to 9 August 2026

  An August week run by Ending Loneliness Together to raise awareness of loneliness and encourage social connection in Australia.

• National Stroke Week

  Awareness3 to 9 August 2026

  The Stroke Foundation's annual awareness week in August teaching the signs of stroke, held from 3 to 9 August in 2026.

• Picnic Day (Northern Territory)

  Public holidays

  A Northern Territory public holiday on the first Monday in August. It falls on 2 August 2027.

Tuesday 4 August 2026

• National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day

  Awareness

  Held on 4 August each year to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and the role of culture, family and community in their lives.

Thursday 6 August 2026

• International Day of Awareness of the Special Development Needs and Challenges of Landlocked Developing Countries

  Awareness

  On 6 August the UN highlights the development challenges faced by the 32 developing countries that have no coastline.

• Jeans for Genes Day (Australia)

  Awareness

  An annual day in early August when Australians wear jeans to raise money for children's genetic disease research, held on 6 August in 2026.

Sunday 9 August 2026

• International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

  Awareness

  On 9 August the UN raises awareness of the rights and needs of Indigenous Peoples around the world.

Monday 10 August 2026

• World Lion Day

  Awareness

  Held on 10 August, World Lion Day raises awareness of the decline of wild lions and gathers support for their conservation.

Tuesday 11 August 2026

• World Steelpan Day

  Awareness

  World Steelpan Day on 11 August celebrates the steelpan, the musical instrument from Trinidad and Tobago, and its cultural importance.

Wednesday 12 August 2026

• International Youth Day

  Awareness

  International Youth Day on 12 August highlights the role of young people in building fair and sustainable societies.

• Royal Queensland Show Day (Ekka)

  Public holidays

  A public holiday in the Brisbane area on the Wednesday of the Royal Queensland Show, known as the Ekka. It falls on 11 August 2027.

• World Elephant Day

  Awareness

  Marked on 12 August, World Elephant Day draws attention to threats facing Asian and African elephants, such as poaching and habitat loss.

Saturday 15 August 2026

• Assumption of Mary

  Religious and cultural

  The Assumption of Mary on 15 August is the Catholic feast celebrating Mary being taken up into heaven, a holy day of obligation.

• National Science Week (Australia)

  Awareness15 to 23 August 2026

  Australia's annual celebration of science and technology each August, with thousands of public events. Dates are 15 to 23 August 2026 and 14 to 22 August 2027.

Monday 17 August 2026

• Brain Injury Awareness Week (Australia)

  Awareness17 to 23 August 2026

  An annual awareness week each August about acquired brain injury and the people living with it, held from 17 to 23 August in 2026.

Wednesday 19 August 2026

• Qixi Festival

  Religious and cultural

  Qixi, sometimes called Chinese Valentine's Day, falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, usually in August.

• World Humanitarian Day

  Awareness

  World Humanitarian Day on 19 August honours aid workers and calls for the protection of people who deliver humanitarian help.

Thursday 20 August 2026

• Daffodil Day (Australia)

  Awareness

  Cancer Council's national day of fundraising and awareness for cancer research, held each August, with 2026 falling on Thursday 20 August.

• World Mosquito Day

  Awareness

  Held on 20 August, World Mosquito Day marks Sir Ronald Ross's 1897 discovery that mosquitoes transmit malaria, and highlights mosquito borne diseases.

Friday 21 August 2026

• International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism

  Awareness

  On 21 August the UN honours and supports victims and survivors of terrorism and promotes their rights.

Saturday 22 August 2026

• Children's Book Week (Australia)

  Awareness22 to 28 August 2026

  The Children's Book Council of Australia's annual August week celebrating Australian books and reading, known for school costume parades. In 2026 it ran from 22 to 28 August.

• International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief

  Awareness

  On 22 August the UN remembers people harmed by violence because of their religion or belief and calls for support for them.

Sunday 23 August 2026

• International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition

  Awareness

  On 23 August UNESCO remembers the transatlantic slave trade and marks the 1791 uprising in Saint Domingue, now Haiti, that helped bring about its end.

Monday 24 August 2026

• Scams Awareness Week

  Awareness24 to 28 August 2026

  An annual week in late August run through the ACCC's Scamwatch to help Australians spot and report scams. In 2026 it ran from 24 to 28 August.

Wednesday 26 August 2026

• Onam

  Religious and cultural

  Onam is the harvest festival of Kerala, celebrated in August or September with flower carpets and a large vegetarian feast.

Thursday 27 August 2026

• Red Nose Day (Australia)

  Awareness

  Red Nose Australia's annual fundraising day on the fourth Thursday of August, supporting research and bereavement services for sudden infant death.

• World Lake Day

  Awareness

  World Lake Day on 27 August raises awareness of lakes and the need to manage and protect them sustainably.

Friday 28 August 2026

• Raksha Bandhan

  Religious and cultural

  Raksha Bandhan is a Hindu festival in August celebrating the bond between brothers and sisters with a protective thread.

• Wear It Purple Day

  Awareness

  Held on the last Friday of August, a day when schools and workplaces wear purple to support LGBTIQA+ young people.

Saturday 29 August 2026

• International Bat Night

  Awareness29 to 30 August 2026

  A celebration of bats on the last full weekend of August, with bat walks and talks across Europe and the UK.

• International Day against Nuclear Tests

  Awareness

  The International Day against Nuclear Tests on 29 August raises awareness of the effects of nuclear test explosions and calls for them to end.

Sunday 30 August 2026

• International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances

  Awareness

  On 30 August the UN honours people who have been forcibly disappeared and supports their families' right to the truth.

Monday 31 August 2026

• International Day for People of African Descent

  Awareness

  On 31 August the UN celebrates the heritage and contributions of people of African descent and calls for an end to racial discrimination.

• International Day of Safe, Secure and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence

  Awareness

  On 31 August the UN promotes artificial intelligence that is safe, secure and trustworthy and that benefits everyone.

• International Overdose Awareness Day

  Awareness

  Held on 31 August, the world's largest campaign to remember people lost to overdose, reduce stigma and promote overdose prevention.