What days should you keep in mind for your government social media content calendar? Here’s a helpful roundup of some of the observed days happening in May 2023 you might want to consider building content for — or be mindful of — for your government social media accounts. 

We also put together a free, downloadable resource of observed days for 2023! Download our 2023 Observance Calendar Roundup to easily reference days and fill in goals, accomplishments and ideas throughout the year. 

Please keep in mind that this is not meant to be a full list of observances and we encourage you to check with your state/county for any area-specific days or with your peers in our GSM Facebook Community Group or free GSM network. Other helpful resources for additional observances include List of National Days, National Today, Ready.Gov’s Preparedness Calendar, NWS Awareness and Preparedness Calendar, or the United Nations List of International Days and Weeks.

Observed in the month of May

• ALS Awareness Month
• American Wetlands Month
• Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
• Better Hearing and Speech Month
• Building Safety Month
• Clean Air Month
• Garden for Wildlife Month
• Global Youth Traffic Safety Month
• Haitian Heritage Month
• Jewish American Heritage Month
• Labor History Month
• Latino Books Month
• Mental Health Awareness Month
• Military Appreciation Month
• Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month
• National Bicycle Safety Month
• National Foster Care Month
• National Get Caught Reading Month
• National Pet Month
• National Preservation Month
• National Water Safety Month
• National Wildfire Awareness Month
• Older Americans Month
• Small Business Month

Weeks observed in May

• 1-5: Teacher Appreciation Week
• 1-7: Deaf Awareness Week
• 1-7: Hurricane Preparedness Week
• 1-7: National Wildflower Week
• 2-8: Children’s Book Week
• 6-7: National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend
• 6-12: National Nurses Week
• 7-13: Amphibian Week
• 7-13: Canada Emergency Preparedness Week
• 7-13: International Composting Awareness Week
• 7-13: National Hospital Week
• 7-13: National Correctional Officers Week
• 7-13: National Pet Week
• 7-13: National Prevention Week
• 7-13: North American Occupational Safety & Health Week
• 7-13: Public Service Recognition Week
• 14-20: National Police Week
• 15-21: Mental Health Awareness Week
• 21-27: National Emergency Medical Services Week
• 21-27: Public Works Week
• 22-28: National Safe Sun Week

Days observed in May

• 1: Great Lakes Awareness Day
• 1: May Day
• 1: School Principals’ Day
• 1: Silver Star Service Banner Day
• 2: National Foster Care Day
• 2: National Teacher Appreciation Day
• 3: National Public Radio Day
• 3: World Press Freedom Day
• 4: Anti-Bullying Day
• 4: International Firefighters’ Day
• 4: Kent State Shootings Remembrance
• 4: National Day of Prayer
• 4: Star Wars Day
• 5: Cinco de Mayo
• 5: Museum Lover’s Day
• 5: National Space Day
• 5: School Lunch Hero Day
• 5: World Hand Hygiene Day
• 6: Kentucky Derby
• 6: National Nurses Day
• 6: National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day
• 10: National Fentanyl Awareness Day
• 10: National Receptionists Day
• 10: National Small Business Day
• 11: National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day
• 12: National Military Spouse Appreciation Day
• 12: National Public Gardens Day
• 13: World Migratory Bird Day
• 14: Mother’s Day
• 15: National Senior Fraud Awareness Day
• 15: Peace Officers Memorial Day
• 16: National Do Something Good for Your Neighbor Day
• 17: International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia
• 18: Global Accessibility Awareness Day
• 18: International Museum Day
• 19: Celebrate Your Elected Officials Day
• 19: Endangered Species Day
• 19: Virtual Assistants Day
• 20: National Armed Forces Day
• 20: National Rescue Dog Day
• 20: National Women in Aerospace Day
• 20: World Bee Day
• 21: World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
• 22: International Day for Biological Diversity
• 23: World Turtle Day
• 24: Emergency Medical Services for Children Day
• 24: National Scavenger Hunt Day
• 25: National Missing Children’s Day
• 26: Buddha’s Birthday
• 26: National Heat Awareness Day
• 28: World Hunger Day
• 29: Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh
• 29: Memorial Day
• 31: World Foster Day
• 31: World No Tobacco Day

Best communicate with the public you serve and get connected with fellow socialgovs by registering for the 2023 Government Social Media Conference happening in Reno-Tahoe, Nevada! Join our free network for bi-weekly Government Social Media Chats or professional association for member-only webinars. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates on training, events and more.

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