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 October 2024 you might want to consider building content for — or be mindful of — for your government social media accounts.

We put together a free, downloadable resource of observed days for all of 2024! Download our 2024 Observance Calendar Roundup to easily reference observances and fill in goals, accomplishments and ideas for the rest of 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 October

• Adopt-A-Dog Month
• Bat Appreciation Month
• Blindness Awareness Month
• Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• Car Care Month
• Crime Prevention Month
• Domestic Violence Awareness Month
• Down Syndrome Awareness Month
• Emotional Wellness Month
• Family History Month
• Filipino American History Month
• German American Heritage Month
• Global Diversity Awareness Month
• Halloween Safety Month
• Health Literacy Month
• International School Library Month
• International Walk to School Month
• Italian-American Heritage Month
• LGBT History Month
• National Animal Safety and Protection Month
• National Book Month
• National Bullying Prevention Month
• National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
• National Depression Education & Awareness Month
• National Disability Employment Awareness Month
• National Learning & Development Month
• National Pedestrian Safety Month
• National Pet Wellness Month
• National Work and Family Month
• Pitbull Awareness Month
• Polish-American Heritage Month

Weeks observed in October

• 4-10: World Space Week
• 6-12: Fire Prevention Week
• 6-12: Mental Illness Awareness Week
• 13-19: Earth Science Week
• 13-19: International Infection Prevention Week
• 13-19: National Wildlife Refuge Week 
• 20-26: National Friends of Libraries Week
• 20-26: National Teen Driver Safety Week
• 20-26: National Wolf Awareness Week
• 21-25: National Health Education Week
• 21-25: National School Bus Safety Week
• 23-31: Red Ribbon Week
• 24-31: Bat Week
• 27-Nov. 2: Polar Bear Week 

Days observed in October

• 1: International Day of Older Persons
• 1: National Fire Pup Day
• 2: Coffee with a Cop Day
• 2: International Day of Non-Violence
• 2: International Walk to School Day
• 2-4: Rosh Hashanah
• 2: World Habitat Day
• 2: World Farm Animals Day
• 3: Mean Girls Day
• 4: National Truckers Appreciation Day
• 4: World Animal Day
• 4: World Smile Day
• 5: National Do Something Nice Day
• 5: World Teachers Day
• 6: German-American Day
• 6: National Coaches Day
• 9: National Stop Bullying Day
• 9: Walk & Roll to School Day
• 10: World Animal Road Accident Awareness Day
• 10: World Day Against the Death Penalty
• 10: World Homeless Day
• 10: World Mental Health Day
• 11: National Coming Out Day
• 11-12: Yom Kippur
• 12: National Farmer’s Day
• 12: Urban Wildlife Conservation Day
• 13: International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction
• 13: International Plain Language Day
• 13: Navy Birthday
• 14: Indigenous Peoples’ Day
• 15: Global Handwashing Day
• 15: National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day
• 16: National Boss’s Day
• 16: National Fossil Day
• 16: World Food Day
• 17: Black Poetry Day
• 17: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
• 17: Spirit Day
• 19: Imagine a Day Without Water
• 19: LGBTQ+ Center Awareness Day
• 21: Back to the Future Day
• 21: National Pets for Veterans Day
• 22: International Stuttering Awareness Day
• 24: United Nations Day
• 26: Make a Difference Day
• 26: National Day of the Deployed
• 26: National Financial Crime Fighter Day
• 26: National Transgender Children Day
• 27: Navy Day
• 28: National First Responders Day
• 30: National Speak Up For Service Day
• 31- Nov. 2: Día de los Muertos
• 31: Halloween

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