Calendar of annual awareness events
Introduction
Public advocacy or awareness days can be a great way for museums and galleries to celebrate their collections, engage with audiences, and raise awareness of social causes.
Museums and galleries can join in by sharing content on social media, hosting events, or promoting themselves in the press.
Below are some days that are likely to be of relevance to Scottish museums and galleries.
January
Heritage Treasures Day (14th January 2026)
Burns Night (25th January)
Holocaust Memorial Day (27th January)
February
LGBT History Month
National Storytelling Week (31st January – 8th February 2026)
Time to Talk Day (first Thursday in February)
Chinese New Year (6th February 2027)
Seachdain na Gàidhlig/World Gaelic Week (23rd February – 1st March 2026)
March
Women’s History Month
International Women’s Day (8th March)
British Science Week (6th-15th March 2026)
Social Prescribing Day (27th March 2027)
Neurodiversity Celebration Week (17th-22nd March 2026)
World Storytelling Day (20th March)
International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade (25th March)
Trans Day of Visibility (31st March)
April
Autism Acceptance Month
World Autism Awareness Day (2nd April)
Tartan Day (6th April)
International Day for Monuments and Sites (World Heritage Day) (18th April)
Earth Day (22nd April)
May
Mental Health Awareness Week (11th – 17th May 2026)
International Museum Day (18th May)
June
Pride Month
Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month
Volunteers’ Week (1st-7th June)
Museum Week (1st-7th June 2026)
World Oceans Day (8th June)
Book Week Scotland (14th – 20th June 2027)
Clean Air Day (19th June)
Windrush Day (22nd June)
July
Disability Pride Month
Results Day (first Tuesday in August)
South Asian Heritage Month (18th July- 17th August)
Changing Places Awareness Day (19th July)
August
South Asian Heritage Month (18th July- 17th August)
#NoWrongPath (3rd – 7th August 2026)
World Photography Day (19th August)
International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition (23rd August)
International Dog Day (26th August)
September
East and South East Asian Heritage Month
World Tourism Day (27th September)
Scotland’s National Innovation Week (22nd-26th September)
Maths Week Scotland (22nd-28th September)
Scotland’s Climate Week (28th September- 4th October 2026)
National Sporting Heritage Day (30th September)
October
Scotland’s Climate Week (28th September- 4th October 2026)
Scottish Museums Day (3rd October)
International Day of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (17th October)
Care Experienced Week (last week in October)
November
Remembrance Sunday (second Sunday in November)
Trustees’ Week (9th – 13th November 2026)
Inclusive Workplaces Week Scotland (17th – 21st November 2025)
Transgender Day of Remembrance (20th November)
World Children’s Day (20th November)
Museum Shop Sunday (last Sunday in November)
St Andrew’s Day (30th November)
December
World Aids Day (1st December)
International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime (9th December)
Human Rights Day (10th December)