UK awareness days and key dates

Wednesday 1 July 2026

• Co-op Fortnight

  Awareness22 June to 5 July 2026

  A fortnight celebrating co-operative businesses across the UK, running 22 June to 5 July in 2026.

• Swift Awareness Week

  Awareness27 June to 5 July 2026

  A week of walks, talks and events in late June and early July to help protect swifts, a declining summer visitor.

• Community Energy Fortnight

  Awareness1 to 14 July 2026

  A two week campaign in early July that showcases community owned renewable energy groups across the UK.

Thursday 2 July 2026

• Cycle to Work Day

  Awareness

  A UK day on the first Thursday of July that encourages people to ride a bike to work.

Friday 3 July 2026

• Action Mesothelioma Day

  Awareness

  Action Mesothelioma Day is held in early July to remember people affected by mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer, held on Friday 3 July 2026.

Saturday 4 July 2026

• International Day of Cooperatives

  Awareness

  The International Day of Cooperatives, on the first Saturday of July, celebrates member-owned businesses and their role in fair and inclusive economies.

• National Meadows Day

  Awareness

  A Plantlife day on the first Saturday of July celebrating wildflower meadows and calling for their protection.

Monday 6 July 2026

• Alcohol Awareness Week

  Awareness6 to 12 July 2026

  A UK week run by Alcohol Change UK each July to get people thinking about alcohol and its effects.

• Great British Pea Week

  Awareness6 to 12 July 2026

  An early July week marking the peak of the UK pea harvest, run by the Yes Peas! campaign to encourage people to cook with British peas.

• National School Sports Week

  Awareness6 to 12 July 2026

  A UK week each July when schools hold sports days and active events, set for 5 to 11 July in 2027.

• World Rural Development Day

  Awareness

  World Rural Development Day on 6 July draws attention to sustainable development in rural areas, where much of the world lives and works.

• World Zoonoses Day

  Awareness

  Held on 6 July, World Zoonoses Day raises awareness of diseases that pass between animals and people, marking Pasteur's first rabies vaccination in 1885.

Tuesday 7 July 2026

• World Kiswahili Language Day

  Awareness

  World Kiswahili Language Day on 7 July celebrates Kiswahili, spoken by more than 200 million people across East, Central and Southern Africa.

Wednesday 8 July 2026

• Group B Strep Awareness Week

  Awareness8 to 14 July 2026

  Group B Strep Awareness Week raises awareness of group B strep infection in newborn babies, held from 8 to 14 July in 2026.

Saturday 11 July 2026

• International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica

  Awareness

  On 11 July the UN remembers the victims of the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica and works to counter denial and prevent future genocides.

• Srebrenica Memorial Day

  Awareness

  A day on 11 July remembering the genocide of over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys at Srebrenica in 1995.

• World Horse Day

  Awareness

  World Horse Day on 11 July celebrates the long partnership between people and horses and calls attention to their welfare.

• World Population Day

  Awareness

  World Population Day on 11 July focuses attention on population issues and their links to development, health and the environment.

Sunday 12 July 2026

• International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms

  Awareness

  On 12 July the UN raises awareness of sand and dust storms and the harm they cause to health, especially in dry regions.

• International Day of Hope

  Awareness

  The International Day of Hope on 12 July celebrates hope as a force that unites people in facing shared global challenges.

Monday 13 July 2026

• Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day) bank holiday

  Public holidays

  A bank holiday in Northern Ireland.

• Bees' Needs Week

  Awareness13 to 19 July 2026

  A Defra led week in July that shows people simple ways to help bees and other pollinators.

Wednesday 15 July 2026

• World Youth Skills Day

  Awareness

  World Youth Skills Day on 15 July highlights the value of giving young people skills for work, decent jobs and enterprise.

Saturday 18 July 2026

• Festival of Archaeology

  Religious and cultural18 July to 2 August 2026

  A UK festival of archaeology events held over two weeks in July, which ran from 18 July to 2 August in 2026.

• Nelson Mandela International Day

  Awareness

  Nelson Mandela International Day on 18 July, his birthday, encourages people to take action in their communities in his honour.

Monday 20 July 2026

• Farm Safety Week

  Awareness20 to 24 July 2026

  A five day July campaign by the Farm Safety Foundation to cut deaths and injuries on UK farms. In 2026 it ran 20 to 24 July.

• International Moon Day

  Awareness

  International Moon Day on 20 July marks the first human landing on the Moon in 1969 and promotes sustainable lunar exploration.

• World Chess Day

  Awareness

  World Chess Day on 20 July celebrates chess as a game that builds goodwill, dialogue and cooperation between people.

Wednesday 22 July 2026

• World Brain Day

  Awareness

  A global day on 22 July that raises awareness of brain health and neurological conditions.

Thursday 23 July 2026

• Tisha B'Av

  Religious and cultural

  Tisha B'Av is the Jewish fast day on 9 Av mourning the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem and other tragedies.

Friday 24 July 2026

• International Self-Care Day

  Awareness

  A global day on 24 July that promotes self-care as part of good health. The date reflects self-care being practised 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

• Love Parks Week

  Awareness24 July to 2 August 2026

  A Keep Britain Tidy campaign celebrating parks and green spaces in England, held over about ten days from late July into early August.

• Samaritans Awareness Day

  Awareness

  Samaritans Awareness Day falls on 24 July each year, a date chosen to reflect that Samaritans volunteers are there to listen 24/7.

Saturday 25 July 2026

• International Day for Judicial Well-being

  Awareness

  The International Day for Judicial Well-being on 25 July recognises that the wellbeing of judges supports fair, independent and effective justice.

• International Day of Women and Girls of African Descent

  Awareness

  On 25 July the UN recognises the contributions of women and girls of African descent and the discrimination they still face.

• National Marine Week

  Awareness25 July to 9 August 2026

  The Wildlife Trusts' 16-day celebration of UK seas and coastlines, held 25 July to 9 August in 2026.

• World Drowning Prevention Day

  Awareness

  World Drowning Prevention Day on 25 July highlights the toll of drowning on families and communities and promotes ways to prevent it.

Sunday 26 July 2026

• International Bog Day

  Awareness

  A day on the fourth Sunday of July that raises awareness of peatlands, their benefits and the threats they face.

• International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem

  Awareness

  A UNESCO day on 26 July that raises awareness of mangroves and the need to protect these coastal forests.

Tuesday 28 July 2026

• World Hepatitis Day

  Awareness

  World Hepatitis Day on 28 July raises awareness of viral hepatitis and calls for a stronger global response.

Wednesday 29 July 2026

• Global Tiger Day

  Awareness

  Held on 29 July, Global Tiger Day raises awareness of wild tigers and efforts to protect them and their habitats.

Thursday 30 July 2026

• International Day of Friendship

  Awareness

  The International Day of Friendship on 30 July celebrates friendship between people, cultures and countries as a foundation for peace.

• World Day against Trafficking in Persons

  Awareness

  The World Day against Trafficking in Persons on 30 July raises awareness of human trafficking and calls for better protection of victims.

Friday 31 July 2026

• World Ranger Day

  Awareness

  Held on 31 July, World Ranger Day honours rangers killed or injured on duty and recognises their work protecting nature and cultural heritage.