Super Handy List of Marketing Holidays and Seasonal Advertising Themes

One day I was writing my BIG LIST of Tools and Resources For Bloggers and I went out on the internet to find a great list of marketing holidays. Doh, there were no good resources that listed holidays and seasonal advertising themes for marketing so I decided to make my own!

This is a big list of holidays IN ORDER by month with possible marketing themes that you can use at different times in the year!

Please remember that there are actual calendars if you want to know dates… this is more for me to use for planning my marketing campaigns in advance. With that in mind, please remember that you need to be working about two months ahead to get your marketing ready for the holiday or theme!

January

• New Years Day – January 1
• Epiphany (Christian) – January 6
• Martin Luther King Day – 3 Monday in January
• Inauguration Day (USA) – January 20
• Chinese New Year – January/February

January Themes

• New Beginnings: Getting Started
• Resolutions: Weight Loss, Eat Better, Exercise More, Quit Smoking, Organize, Drink Less, Get Out of Debt/Save Money
• Planning: Time Management, Calendars, Procrastination
• Year Of… Chinese New Year Animal, Red and Gold

February

• Groundhog Day – February 2
• Valentine's Day – February 14 (Related post: How To Create An Amazing Valentine’s Day Marketing Campaign)
• President's Day – 3rd Monday In February
• Chinese New Year – January/February

February Themes

• Groundhog Day: Seeing Your Shadow, 6 More Weeks of Winter, Winter Never Ending
• Mardis Gras (Feb/Mar): Masks, Beads, Jesters, Fleur De Lis, Yellow & Purple
• Love: Hearts, Flowers, Couples, Red and Pink
• Presidents Day: Lincoln and Washington, Stars and Stripes, American Flag, Top Hats, Red White & Blue
• Superbowl Sunday: Football, NFL, Snacks, Green Brown & White

March

• St. Patrick's Day – March 17
• March Equinox – March 19 or 20 (First Day of Spring)
• Daylight Savings Time Starts – March
• Easter – March/April

March Themes

• Spring Forward: Time, Clocks, Flowers, New Beginnings
• Mardis Gras (Feb/Mar): Masks, Beads, Jesters, Yellow & Purple
• St. Patricks – Shamrocks, Leprechauns, Gold and Green
• Easter: Bunnies, Baskets, Eggs, Pastel Colors
• March Madness (College Basketball Tournament): Basketballs, College, Brackets, Betting

April

• April Fools Day – April 1st
• Tax Day (USA) – April 15
• Earth Day – April 22
• Easter – March/April

April Themes

• April Fools Day: Tricks, Funny
• Easter: Bunnies, Baskets, Eggs, Pastel Colors
• Taxes: Saving Money, Budgeting, Coupons, Green
• Spring Cleaning: Cleaning, Organizing
• Arbor Day/Earth Day: World, Trees, Plants, Green & Blue
• Pi Day (Nerdy Math Holiday) – March 14th: Pi Symbol, 3.14, Albert Einstein, Pie

May

• Cinco De Mayo – May 5
• Mother's Day – 2nd Sunday In May
• Memorial day – Last Monday In May

May Themes

• Cinco De Mayo: Sombreros, Castanets, Hot Peppers, Red and Green
• Graduation (High School & College): Mortar Boards, Diploma
• Moms: Mothers, Babies, Flowers, Hearts, Pink and Red (Colorful)
• Memorial Day: American Flag, Bald Eagle, Soldiers, Stars and Stripes, Red White & Blue
• May The Fourth Be With You (Nerdy Star Wars Holiday) – May 4th: Star Wars Characters and Themes
• Kentucky Derby (2nd Saturday) – Horse Racing, Betting, Horses

June

• June Solstice – June 20 or 21 (First Day of Summer)
• Flag Day – June 14
• Father's Day – 3rd Sunday In June

June Themes

• Weddings: Brides, Gowns, Flowers, Rings, Bouquet, Cake, Shoes
• Flag Day: American Flag, Stars and Stripes, Red White & Blue
• Father's Day: Dads, Kids/Toddlers, Neck Ties
• Summer Starting: Sun, Bathing Suits, Sunglasses, Swimming, Kids Home, Vacations, Yellow & Blue

July

• Independence Day – July 4 (Related Post: How To Create An Amazing 4th of July Marketing Campaign (Independence Day)

July Themes

• 4th of July: Fireworks, American Flag, Bald Eagle, Stars and Stripes, Red White & Blue
• Dog Days of Summer: Hot Dogs, Picnics, Hot, Sun

October

• Columbus Day – October 12
• Halloween – October 31

October Themes

• Columbus Day: Christopher Columbus, Schooners, Spyglass
• Fall: Leaves Falling, Burning Leaves, Red Orange & Yellow
• Halloween: Pumpkins, Ghosts, Trick or Treaters, Skulls, Scary, Orange & Black (Additional Resource: Fun Halloween Marketing Campaign Ideas)
• World Series: Baseball, Bats

November

• Election Day (USA) – November 7
• Daylight Savings Time Ends – November
• Veterans Day – November 11
• Thanksgiving – 4th Thursday in November

November Themes

• Daylight Savings Time: Fall Back, Change Clocks
• Thanksgiving: Pilgrims, Cornucopia, Leaves, Orange Red & Yellow (Additional Resource: Fun Thanksgiving Marketing Campaign Ideas)
• Movember:Mens Health, Moustaches
• Black Friday (Day After Thanksgiving): Sales, Gift Giving, Gift Tags, Retail, Black (Additional Resource: How to Have A Successful Black Friday Sale)
• Small Business Saturday: Shop Small, Blue & White
• Cyber Monday (Monday After Thanksgiving): Online Shopping
• NaNoWriMo (Month Long Writing Challenge): Authors, Books, Quill Pens

December

• Chanukah (Jewish Festival of Lights) – December
• December Solstice – December 21 (First Day of Winter)
• Christmas – December 25
• Kwanzaa (Culture and Traditions of African People) – December 26
• New Years Eve – December 31

December Themes

• Christmas: Presents, Gifts, Santa, Reindeer, Ornaments, Christmas Trees, Nativity, Candy Canes, Gingerbread Men, Christmas Lights, Elf on the Shelf, Red & Green
• Chanukah: Menorah, Dreidel, Candles, Blue
• Winter: Snowflakes, Snowmen, White & Blue
• New Years: Party, Noisemakers, Fireworks, Baby New Year, Champagne, Top Hats, Clock, Times Square, Countdown, Cherub, Confetti

Additional Resources

• Marketing Holidays…. Dates, Hashtags and Keywords (Case Study Included)
• Time and Date – This is a great site to find the ACTUAL date of holidays for the year!
• Track Maven – Big list of national funny days and weeks (thanks to Brian for this tip!)