Calendar

January 26 – 30, 2026

Family Literacy Day is a national awareness initiative created by ABC Life Literacy Canada in 1999 and held annually on January 27 to raise awareness of the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family. Taking time every day to read or do a learning activity with children is crucial to a child’s development. Even just 15 minutes a day can improve a child’s literacy skills dramatically, and can help a parent improve their skills as well.

The UN General Assembly designated January 27 — the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this annual day of commemoration, we should honor the victims of the Nazi era and develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides. For more information: http://www.un.org/en/holocaustremembrance/

Christianity

Buddhism, Shintō

Hinduism

Orthodox Christianity – Julian calendar

On February 15, 1965 our national flag was raised for the first time on Parliament Hill. Every year since 1996, when Parliament declared February 15th as National Flag of Canada Day, we celebrate our beautiful flag.

Mahāyāna Buddhism

Buddhism

Buddhism

Canada

March 1 – 19, 2025
Bahá’í

March 2 – 9, 2026

March 2 – 3, 2026
Judaism

March 2 – 8, 2026

Buddhism

March 4 – 6, 2026
Sikhism

Hinduism

The World Economic Forum predicts the gender gap won’t close entirely until 2186. This is too long to wait. Around the world, IWD is an important opportunity to drive driving greater change for women and to accelerate gender parity.

Islam

March 19 – 20, 2026
Islam

First Nations, Inuit, Métis; Wicca; Paganism

Baháʼí

Christianity

Hinduism

8:30 pm local time

Christianity

2SLGBTQIA+ 

Observed each year on March 31, International Transgender Day of Visibility is a day to celebrate the courage it takes to live openly and authentically, while also recognizing the leadership of transgender and gender nonconforming trailblazers who have led the charge in the fight for equality.

First Nations, Inuit, Métis

April 1 – 9, 2026
Judaism

Jehovah’s Witness

Christianity

Christianity

The Qingming Festival, or Tomb Sweeping Day, is a somber and traditional Chinese festival that has been celebrated for over 2,500 years. To show respect to their ancestors, families clean and beautify the gravesites, pray, burn spirit money (joss paper) and make ritual offerings of traditional foods. Willow branches, a symbol of purity and a protection against misfortune, are sometimes brought into homes.

Christianity

2SLGBTQIA+

2SLGBTQIA+

Orthodox Christianity

Theravada New Year
Buddhism

Holocaust Remembrance Day
April 13 – 14, 2026
Judaism

Solar New Year
Hinduism; Tamil

Sikhism

Hinduism

Bahá’í

The National Day of Mourning, or Workers’ Mourning Day is observed in Canada on April 28. It commemorates workers who have been killed, injured or suffered illness due to workplace related hazards and incidents.

Wicca/Paganism

Buddha

May 4 – 10, 2026

First Nations, Inuit, Métis

First Nations, Inuit, and Métis

Ontario
https://www.ontario.ca/page/act-on-litter

Christianity

2SLGBTQIA+ 

The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia held on May 17 every year, is a rallying event offering an opportunity for people to get together and reach out to one another. Fondation Émergence promotes the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia and encourages organisations and individuals to highlight this event in their environment.

May 21 – 23, 2026
Judaism

May 23 – 24, 2026
Bahá’í

Buddhism

Christianity

May 25 – 29, 2026

*Tentative date of May 26 – 28; dependent on sighting of the moon.
Islam

May 28 – 29, 2026
Bahá’í

May 31 – June 6, 2026

June 1 – 7, 2026
https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/canadian-environment-week.html

June 1 – 5, 2026

First Nations, Inuit, Métis

Canada

*Tentative date of June 16 – 17, 2026; dependent on sighting of the moon
Islam

Sikhism

The Dragon Boat Festival is a Chinese holiday dating back over 2,000 years, and has its roots in myths and legends. Traditions include activities to ward off evil and disease, remembering folk heroes, and racing dragon boats. The festival is now celebrated in many Asian countries.

In Canada, dragon boat racing got its start at Expo ‘86 in Vancouver, when the local Chinese community sought to unite divided communities, reduce tensions, and build a space for intercultural dialogue, and has since spread across the country. Festivals are community and charitable fundraisers, often lasting for several days and including dragon boat racing, music, amusement rides, artisans, and food. One of the largest festivals in North America occurs in Ottawa, with 200 teams and 5,000 paddlers!

USA

Midsummer, a festival honouring the summer solstice, has been marked by Nordic countries since Pagan times. With the spread of Christianity, the Feast of St. John the Baptist superseded the Pagan event, until the two rituals merged over time to form the unique secular Midsummer Day festival as it is celebrated today. Nordics mark it in various ways, but common events include huge bonfires, local food and drink, wildflower wreaths and decorations, and dancing long into the sunlit night!

First Nations, Métis, Inuit

First Nations, Inuit, Métis; Wicca/Paganism

Inti Raymi (Sun Festival) in the Andes is a centuries-old Inca celebration of the winter solstice in the Southern hemisphere. Begun in the 14th century, it was later banned by Spanish colonists in an attempt to eradicate Indigenous beliefs and culture. 

Nearly 400 years later Inti Raymi re-emerged thanks to efforts of historians and artists who sought to recover lost Indigenous traditions. Today, Inti Raymi has evolved into a grand theatrical re-enactment in which over 800 artists don costumes and engage in processions, rites, and traditional Inca dances, bringing the past to life.

Learn more: https://www.apus-peru.com/blog/inti-raymi-the-fascinating-sun-festival-in-peru/

Christianity

Quebec; Francophone Culture

June 25 – July 1

Ontario

Take part in the celebrations for Canadian Multiculturalism Day and discover the wealth of cultures that bring our country to life. http://www.canada.ca

Bahá’í

Commonly held June – September.

Elements of the Scottish Highland Games can be traced back over 1,000 years, though the connection to the clan system didn’t evolve until the late Middle Ages. After being banned following the 18th c. Jacobite Rebellion, the Games returned in the early 1800’s and swiftly grew in popularity. Today, the modern Highland Games are a celebration of Scottish culture held across Scotland and in many countries with a large Scottish diaspora – including Canada.

August 2 – 3, 2025
Judaism

The Civic Holiday is known in Toronto as Simcoe Day, to honour John Graves Simcoe and his work towards the abolition of slavery in Upper Canada until emancipation came into effect across the British Empire on Aug 1, 1834. 

Following the first Caribana celebration held in 1967 by West Indians living in Canada, Simcoe Day was chosen as the annual date to celebrate the Caribana festival. It recognizes the historical link to Simcoe’s humane work, Emancipation Day, and the resulting carnival celebrations by freed slaves in the West Indies. 

Now called the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, the annual event is a vibrant and energetic celebration of pan-Caribbean culture and is billed as North America’s largest cultural festival!

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed each year to raise awareness and protect the rights of the world’s Indigenous population. Learn more: https://www.un.org/en/observances/indigenous-day

Dekapentavgoustos, which is the Greek term for August 15, is a national holiday in Greece that marks the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. A celebration of both faith and culture, customs vary by region but include a pilgrimage or church service, traditional food, music, costumes and dancing.

Hinduism

 Sikhism

Christianity

The day was first recognised in 2003, as an initiative of the International Association for Suicide Prevention and endorsed by the World Health Organization. World Suicide Prevention Day takes place each year on September 10.

Christianity

First Nations, Inuit, Métis

The International Day of Peace (Peace Day) is observed around the world each year on 21 September. Established in 1981 by unanimous United Nations resolution, Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above al

First Nations, Inuit, Métis
Wicca/Paganism

2SLGBTQIA+

First Nations, Inuit, Métis

First Nations, Inuit, Métis

Ontario

Ontario

October is Women’s History Month in Canada! It’s a time for Canadians to celebrate the achievements of women and girls throughout our history and recognize the trailblazing women who have shaped our country and way of life.

Make your mark
When women and girls bring their passion, energy and talents to everything they do, there is no stopping them!

Looking back over the past 150 years since Confederation, countless women have done exactly that: harnessed their power, found their voice, and claimed their place in our country’s proud history.

Because of their efforts and those of the many women who have followed in their footsteps, we’ve made amazing strides toward gender equality and women’s empowerment over the past 150 years. But there is still more work to do: barriers still exist, and sexism and discrimination continue to impact and shape the lives of too many Canadians.

Change is possible, but we can’t do it alone.

As we look to the future, we must lift each other up so that everyone has the chance to claim their place and reach their full potential. Together, we can create a Canada where every woman and girl has the chance to let her unique power shine through and make her mark.

#ClaimYourPlace
Today, women, girls, men, and boys continue the quest for equality and inclusion in all areas of Canadian life.

Honour their actions and celebrate the courageous women and girls who inspire you to #ClaimYourPlace.

Join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #ClaimYourPlace and share photos, videos and words of inspiration. Share your stories of finding your voice on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Tell the world how you #ClaimYourPlace!

First Nations, Inuit, Métis

October 18 is Persons Day in Canada.

It marks the day in 1929 when the historic decision to include women in the legal definition of “persons” was handed down by Canada’s highest court of appeal. This gave some women the right to be appointed to the Senate of Canada and paved the way for women’s increased participation in public and political life. Though this decision did not include all women, such as Indigenous women and women of Asian heritage and descent, it did mark critical progress in the advancement of gender equality in Canada. Learn more: https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/commemorations-celebrations/womens-history-month/persons-day.html

Sikhism

October 20 – 24, 2025

School board trustees are the oldest form of elected representation in Ontario. Since 1807, generations of community-minded citizens have made decisions on behalf of local, publicly funded schools, building the foundation of our system today. 

Our board of trustees sets our vision, develops policies, allocates resources, and sets the goals that lay the foundation driving programs and operations in the board. Collectively, they create our multi-year strategic plan for student achievement and well-being and recruit and monitor the performance of the Director of Education to ensure our progress in meeting our goals.

The next Municipal and School Board Election occurs on October 26, 2026. In advance of this, trustees can provide an important first-hand learning experience that fits well with the Social Studies and Civics curricula.

Local Government Week events in our schools may also include students observing school boards in session or holding mock municipal elections. Our schools are being encouraged to include this educational opportunity in their events calendar.

The social media hashtag for Local Government Week is #LGWOnt, so be sure to use it if you’re tweeting or posting a photo on Instagram or Facebook.

October 20 – 24, 2025

Every October, OACAS and Children’s Aid Societies raise awareness about how to identify and help prevent child abuse. One of the campaign’s key goals is to educate communities and key partners about how calling a Children’s Aid Society is one of the most effective ways to prevent child abuse. As part of this campaign OACAS and member CASs work closely with school boards, schools, and community partners on a provincial “DRESS PURPLE DAY.”

https://www.oacas.org/publications-and-campaigns/dresspurpleday/

Protestant Christianity

Christianity

November is Financial Literacy Month (FLM)! Learn about this year’s 7th edition and find financial literacy resources and information from Canadian organizations.

https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/campaigns/financial-literacy-month.html

First Nations, Inuit, Métis

Christianity