Businesses of all types know that promotions and marketing need to connect to people at the right place and time for them to take the next step in their sales journey. How do you get that timing just right? By tying your promotion to the events or holidays that your customers care about. To get the ball rolling on your 2026 marketing content calendar, we’ve collected all the dates you’ll need to know. This comprehensive 2026 marketing calendar includes key dates by month and has all the New Orleans holidays your local business will need.
New Orleans business owners know that celebrations and festivals can have a huge impact on sales! When tourists and townies are congregating for some of our favorite events, you don’t want to miss out on the fun.
- January 5 – Twelfth Night; Beginning of Carnival Season
- February 6 – Mardi Gras parades begin
- February 17 – Mardi Gras Day
- March 12 – 15 – New Orleans Book Festival
- April 4 – Crescent City Classic
- April 16 -19 – French Quarter Festival
- April 24 – May 5 – New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
- May 17 – 19 – Bayou Boogaloo
- May 22 – 24 – Greek Fest
- July 2 – 5 – Essence Festival
- November 29 – Celebration in the Oaks
Kick off the beginning of the year with a contest or host a sale for customers to use their holiday gift cards. The new year is also a time for new beginnings and resolutions making it a great opportunity for your business to help people reach their goals.
- Month of January: Veganuary, Dry January, National Mentoring Month
- January 1 – New Year’s Day
- January 5 – Twelfth Night
- January 12 – National Hot Tea Day
- January 18 – National Gourmet Coffee Day
- January 19 – Martin Luther King Day
- January 21 – National Hug Your Puppy Day
- January 24 – International day of Education
- January 25 – Irish Coffee Day
With February we get romantic holidays, the abandonment of New Year’s resolutions, and the reintroduction of chocolate into our diets.
- Month of February – Black History Month
- February 6 – Mardi Gras parades begin
- February 8 – Super Bowl Sunday
- February 14 – Valentines Day
- February 16 – Presidents Day
- February 17 – Mardi Gras Day
- February 17 – First Day of Ramadan
- February 17 – Chinese New Year
- February 18 – Ash Wednesday
- February 18 – National Drink Wine Day
With spring approaching, and Mardi Gras in full swing for those of us in New Orleans, the new year will kick into high gear by March.
- Month of March – Women’s History Month
- March 6 – Employee Appreciation Day
- March 8 – International Women’s Day
- March 12 -15 – New Orleans Book Festival
- March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day
- March 19 – National Let’s Laugh Day
- March 20 – Start of Spring
- March 23 – National Puppy Day
- March 24 – National Cocktail Day
- March 27 – World Cheese Day
April brings one of our favorite holidays: April Fools Day! We like to celebrate with some lighthearted pranking that won’t get you a note in your HR file. But if that isn’t your jam, there are plenty of holidays in April to keep in mind for marketing your business.
- Month of April – Stress Awareness Month
- April 1 – April Fools Day
- April 3 – Good Friday
- April 4 – National Handmade Day
- April 4 – Crescent City Classic
- April 5 – Easter Sunday
- April 7 – World Health Day
- April 11 – National Pet Day
- April 15 – Tax Day
- April 16 -19 – French Quarter Festival
- April 21 – International Creativity and Innovation Day
- April 22 – Earth Day
- April 22 – Administrative Professionals Day
- April 23 – World Book Day
- April 26 – World Intellectual Property Day
- April 28 – World Day for Safety and Health at Work
- April 28 – National Superhero Day
- Apr 24-April 27 – Jazz Fest Weekend 1
Spring is turning into summer already and we’re ready for one of the biggest sale days of the year: Memorial Day!
- Month of May – Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Mental Health Awareness Month
- May 1-May 4 – Jazz Fest Weekend 2
- May 2 – Kentucky Derby
- May 5 – Cinco De Mayo
- May 5 – Teacher’s Day
- May 5 – National Nurses Day
- May 6 – Give NOLA Day
- May 7 – National Tourism Day
- May 9 – Fair Trade Day
- May 10 – Mother’s Day
- May 15 – National Pizza Party Day
- May 15 – Bike-to-Work Day
- May 16 – National Mimosa Day
- May 17 – 29 – Bayou Boogaloo
- May 21 – World Day for Cultural Diversity
- May 22 – 24 – Greek Fest
- May 25 – Memorial Day
The end of June is busy with days like International Yoga Day, Micro-, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Day, and World Social Media Day!
- Month of June – LGBT Pride Month, Men’s Health Month
- June 5 – National Donut Day
- June 8 – World Ocean Day
- June 14 – Flag Day
- June 19 – Juneteenth
- June 21 – Father’s Day
- June 21 – International Yoga Day
- June 21 – Summer Solstice
- June 21 – World Music Day
- June 23 – International Women in Engineering Day
- June 25 – National Handshake Day
- June 26 – National Work From Home Day
- June 28 – National Insurance Awareness Day
- June 30 – World Social Media Day
With the heat of summer brings fewer holidays but we’ll never complain about getting extra time to prepare for the busier months ahead. July’s biggest holiday in the US is, of course, Independence Day, but we also get World Chocolate Day and World Emoji Day!
- July 2 – 5 – Essence Festival
- July 4 – Independence Day
- July 5 – National Workaholics Day
- July 7 – World Chocolate Day
- July 17 – World Emoji Day
- July 19 – National Ice Cream Day
- July 26 – Parents’ Day
- July 26 – Coffee Milkshake Day
- July 30 – National Intern Day
The end of the summer for school-aged kids may mean that many families try to get a vacation during August. But even with expected travel, you can still celebrate some of these important days:
- Month of August – Back to School
- August 5 – Oyster Day
- August 7 – International Beer Day
- August 8 – International Cat Day
- August 9 – National Book Lovers Day
- August 9 – International Coworking Day
- August 15 – National Relaxation Day
- August 17 – National Nonprofit Day
- August 19 – World Humanitarian Day
- August 26 – Women’s Equality Day
- August 26 – National Dog Day
September means back to work and back to school! With back-to-school season in full swing, many of us (with and without kids) feel the drive to organize, stock up on notebooks, and get projects done!
- Month of September – National Hispanic Heritage Month
- September 7 – Labor Day
- September 5 – International Day of Charity
- September 6 – Read a Book Day
- September 13 – Grandparent’s Day
- September 15 – National IT Professionals Day
- September 18 – National Cheeseburger Day
- September 18 – International Equal Pay Day
- September 19 – Oktoberfest
- September 22 – American Business Women’s Day
Cooler weather in October reminds us that the holiday season is right around the corner! Planning your holidays early is always a good idea, but in the meantime, there are many things to celebrate in October.
- Month of October – LGBT History Month, National Cyber Security Awareness Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month
- October 1 – World Vegetarian Day
- October 1 – International Coffee Day
- October 10 – World Mental Health Day
- October 12 – Indigenous Peoples’ Day
- October 16 – Boss’s Day
- October 17 – National Pasta Day
- October 23 – National Paralegal Day
- October 27 – National Mentoring Day
- October 28 – National Chocolate Day
- October 31 – Halloween
November makes for a busy month for many small businesses with Black Friday followed immediately by Small Business Saturday. Even if your business does not have a retail location that benefits from these days, you can always plan a big sale for Cyber Monday.
- Month of November – National November Writing Month
- November 1 – Author’s Day
- November 8 – National STEM/STEAM Day
- November 8 – National Cappuccino Day
- November 9 – National Louisiana Day
- November 10 – International Accounting Day
- November 11 – Veterans Day
- November 17 – National Entrepreneurs’ Day
- November 26 – Thanksgiving Day
- November 27 – Black Friday
- November 28 – Small Business Saturday
- November 29 – Celebration in the Oaks
- November 30 – Cyber Monday
- November 30 – International Computer Security Day
The Holidays are in full swing by December, but if your business is not a good fit for a Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa celebration you can always use this time to prepare for the new year.
- Month of December – Cat Lover’s Month
- December 1 – Giving Tuesday
- December 3 – International Day of Persons with Disabilities
- December 4 – Hanukkah begins
- December 4 – National Sock Day
- December 5 – International Volunteer Day
- December 6 – Candle Day
- December 12 – Gingerbread House Day
- December 14 – National Free Shipping Day
- December 15 – National Cupcake Day
- December 21 – Winter Solstice
- December 24 – Christmas Eve
- December 25 – Christmas Day
- December 26 – Kwanzaa Begins
- December 31 – New Year’s Eve
Free Download – Marketing Calendar Worksheet
Fill out the form below to download our Marketing Calendar worksheet. It’s a freebie so feel free to download and print as many as you’d like! We’ll send you monthly marketing tips too, but we promise not to use your email for spam.
Getting your holiday plan in place early is always a good idea. Get Online NOLA can help with all this and more! Want to chat about ways to bring cheer to your customers?