23 weird and wonderful days of the year in 2023

Choose any of the 365 days throughout the year and you’ll discover one or more things being celebrated. Sometimes to raise awareness and for a charitable purpose, or sometimes just plainly bizarre, there’s a day of the year for pretty much everything, these days.

Take today, 11 January, for example. Did you know that it’s step in a puddle and splash your friends day? Nope, neither did we. It’s also the day to take the stairs or learn your name in Morse code. With so many “days of the year” to choose from, we pick out 23 of the weirdest and most wonderful dates to mark in your 2023 diaries…

11 January: Step In A Puddle And Splash Your Friends Day

Stepping in puddles isn’t just a fun thing to do today, it could be something that naturally happens given the lousy weather forecast. An annual fun celebration, this is a day for those who are “feeling a little mischievous”, said HappyDays365.

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16 January: Nothing Day

The same date as Blue Monday (the most miserable day of the year) and Brew Monday (a Samaritans campaign), 16 January is also Nothing Day. Proposed by San Francisco Examiner columnist Harold Pullman Coffin in 1972, he wanted National Nothing Day to be a “non-event” to be observed in the US “by doing nothing”, said National Today.

6 February: National Sickie Day

The first Monday in February is, according to national statistics, the day when people are “most likely to pull a sickie in the UK”, said AwarenessDays.com. One of the reasons is the first payday since Christmas, “meaning people have been out celebrating all weekend with a particularly heavy one”.

14 February: Library Lovers’ Day

As well as Valentine’s Day, 14 February is also Library Lovers’ Day. This is the day of the year dedicated to libraries, librarians, bookworms and library lovers.

2 March: World Book Day

A couple of weeks after Library Lovers’ Day comes World Book Day. It’s an annual celebration of authors, illustrators, books and the joy of reading.

26 March: Make Up Your Own Holiday Day

There may already be thousands of holidays and “days of the year”, but another won’t hurt, will it? On 26 March think of “a thing, person, animal, phrase or food” and create a holiday to celebrate it, said TimeandDate.com.

1 April: International Pillow Fight Day

Not just for April fools, pillow fights will take place in cities all over the world on 1 April. International Pillow Fight Day was held for the first time in New York in 2003.

25 April: National Hug a Plumber Day

Plumbers have “kept the water flowing since ancient Rome”, said National Day Calendar. And in the US, there’s a day to recognise those who “come to our rescue when pipes leak or drains are clogged”.

9 May: Lost Sock Memorial Day

A day to commemorate the thousands of lost socks around the world. “We don’t know where they go, but we know they’re always disappearing,” said DaysOfTheYear.com. This is an opportunity to “mourn your dearly departed foot warmers, wherever they may be”.

21 May: Talk Like Yoda Day

May the fourth may be Star Wars Day, but did you know that 21 May is Talk Like Yoda Day? Marking the US release date of Yoda’s first appearance in The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, the day honours the legendary Jedi Master “whose grammar is any language teacher’s worst nightmare”, said Holidays That Might Get Overlooked.

15 June: Beer Day Britain

Raise your glasses and celebrate Britain’s national beer day. Spread beery love throughout the land and join the National Cheers To Beer at 7pm on 15 June.

2 July: Thank You Day

On Sunday 2 July get together to say a huge thank you to all the people you rely on, and to those who make a difference in your lives. It’s supported by a range of organisations, including the NHS, Scouts, St John Ambulance, National Lottery and the English Football Association.

6 July: International Kissing Day

Pucker up, people, for International Kissing Day on 6 July. The “smallest” yet one of the “most important expressions of love should not be forgotten”, said The Hindustan Times. Kisses come with “a lot of health benefits”, making us feel “younger, loved and cared for”.

16 July: World Ice Cream Day

One scoop or five? Chocolate or strawberry sauce? Ice Cream Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of July. Not content with the global celebration, vanilla ice cream has its own day in the US on 23 July.

13 August: Left Handers Day

One for all the lefties out there. Lefthanders Day is the time to “tell your family and friends how proud you are of being left-handed”, and also “raise awareness of the everyday issues that lefties face as we live in a world designed for right-handers”.

24 August: Pluto Demoted Day

On 24 August 2006, the International Astronomical Union voted to demote Pluto from the ninth planet from the Sun to one of dozens of known dwarf planets, said History.com. The date has been commemorated since.

19 September: International Talk Like a Pirate Day

Arrr, matey, shiver me timbers, 19 September is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! In order for you not to sound like a scallywag, Islands.com has shared 40 useful pirate phrases for the big day.

24 September: Punctuation Day

A day to celebrate the importance of proper punctuation in the US. “Think an ellipsis is when the moon moves in front of the sun?” Find out more at nationalpunctuationday.com.

1 October: International Coffee Day

International Coffee Day is a celebration of the coffee sector’s “diversity, quality and passion”, said the International Coffee Organization. It’s an opportunity for coffee lovers to “share their love of the beverage” and “support the millions of farmers whose livelihoods depend on the aromatic crop”.

2 November: Men Make Dinner Day

On the first Thursday of every November there are blokes in the US scrabbling around searching for pots, pans, plates and ingredients. If you are a guy who is “completely lost in the kitchen”, and thinks “a chafing dish sounds like something painful”, this day is for you, said menmakedinnerday.com.

19 November: World Toilet Day

As the posters say, World Toilet Day is “no joke”. An annual United Nations Observance since 2013, this day raises awareness of the 3.6 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation.

8 December: Christmas Jumper Day

Get into the festive spirit and raise some cash for charity, too. Christmas Jumper Day is Save the Children’s annual event where millions of people across the UK put on a festive outfit at their workplace, school or with friends to “make the world better with a sweater”.

31 December: Make Up Your Mind Day

On New Year’s Eve it’s time to make up your mind. With the countdown approaching, this day is aimed at those who “may be just a little (or a lot) indecisive”, said DaysofTheYear.com. “No excuses, no procrastination, no ands, ifs or buts – this day is your chance to stop putting things off”.