International awareness days and key dates

Sunday 1 August 2049

• Follow World Breastfeeding Week

  Awareness1 to 7 August 2049

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

• Follow World Lung Cancer Day

  Awareness

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

Friday 6 August 2049

• Follow 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.

Sunday 8 August 2049

• Follow International Cat Day

  Fun and quirky

  A day celebrating cats and promoting their welfare, held every year on 8 August.

Monday 9 August 2049

• Follow 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.

Tuesday 10 August 2049

• Follow 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.

Wednesday 11 August 2049

• Follow World Steelpan Day

  Awareness

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

Thursday 12 August 2049

• Follow International Youth Day

  Awareness

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

• Follow 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.

Friday 13 August 2049

• Follow International Left Handers Day

  Fun and quirky

  A day celebrating left-handed people and raising awareness of the everyday challenges they face, held every year on 13 August.

Sunday 15 August 2049

• Follow 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.

Wednesday 18 August 2049

• Follow International Pinot Noir Day

  Fun and quirky

  International Pinot Noir Day, on 18 August, is marked by wine producers and drinkers around the world, with strong support from New Zealand's wine industry.

Thursday 19 August 2049

• Follow International Orangutan Day

  Awareness

  International Orangutan Day, also called World Orangutan Day, is held on 19 August to raise awareness of the threats facing orangutans and their forest habitat.

• Follow World Humanitarian Day

  Awareness

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

• Follow World Photography Day

  Fun and quirky

  World Photography Day on 19 August celebrates the art, science and history of photography and encourages people to share their own pictures.

Friday 20 August 2049

• Follow 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.

Saturday 21 August 2049

• Follow 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.

Sunday 22 August 2049

• Follow 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.

• Follow World Plant Milk Day

  Fun and quirky

  World Plant Milk Day, held every 22 August since 2017, encourages people to try plant-based milks made from oats, soya, nuts and other crops.

Monday 23 August 2049

• Follow 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.

Friday 27 August 2049

• Follow World Lake Day

  Awareness

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

Saturday 28 August 2049

• Follow International Bat Night

  Awareness28 to 29 August 2049

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

Sunday 29 August 2049

• Follow 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.

• Follow US Open (tennis)

  Sports and events29 August to 12 September 2049

  The US Open is the last tennis Grand Slam of the year, held in New York, with the singles main draw usually running from late August to mid September.

Monday 30 August 2049

• Follow 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.

Tuesday 31 August 2049

• Follow 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.

• Follow 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.

• Follow 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.