Dates for your email calendar
The dates worth planning email around from late November 2026 to November 2027, for the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with what each suits. Pick only the few that fit what you sell, start early, and check each date before you build on it.
How it works
Pick the few dates that fit what you sell and where your customers live, and run each as a short sequence: tell early, open the offer, remind, last chance. These are the dates from late November 2026 to November 2027.
The short version
- Use four to eight of these, never all of them: Plan your email year.
- Black Friday to Cyber Monday: Friday 27 to Monday 30 November 2026; Friday 26 to Monday 29 November 2027.
- Mother's Day: Sunday 7 March 2027 in the UK and Ireland; Sunday 9 May 2027 in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
- Father's Day: Sunday 20 June 2027 in the US, UK and Canada; Sunday 5 September 2027 in Australia and New Zealand.
- The financial or tax year ends 31 March in New Zealand, 5 April for UK personal tax, 30 June in Australia and 31 December for US and Canadian individuals.
- Start early: two to three weeks before a gift date, about a week before a sale, four to six weeks before a tax or financial year end.
- Anzac Day and Remembrance Day are for remembrance, not selling.
- Festivals on a lunar calendar move every year: check this year's date.
- For posted goods, the carrier's last posting date sets your last chance.
Late 2026
| Date | Occasion | Where | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 26 to Mon 30 Nov | Thanksgiving (Thu), Black Friday (Fri), Small Business Saturday (Sat), Cyber Monday (Mon) | US; Black Friday and Cyber Monday in all six | Shops, local retail, anything giftable |
| Tue 1 Dec | Giving Tuesday | Started in the US, now worldwide | Nonprofits |
| Sat 5 Dec | Small Business Saturday UK | UK | Independent and local shops |
| Sat 19 and Sun 20 Dec | The last weekend before Christmas | All | Local shops, gift cards, experiences |
| Thu 24 Dec | Christmas Eve | All | Gift cards and digital gifts still sell |
| Fri 25 Dec | Christmas Day | All | |
| Sat 26 Dec | Boxing Day sales | UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand | Shops |
| Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec | Year-end giving: the last day is the largest | All | Nonprofits |
2027
| Date | Occasion | Where | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 Jan | New Year: a fresh start | All | Fitness, learning, money, planning; winning back the quiet |
| Late Jan to early Feb | Back to school (check term dates) | Australia, New Zealand | Schoolwear, school supplies, tutoring |
| Sun 14 Feb | Valentine's Day | All | Gifts, restaurants, experiences |
| Mon 15 Feb | Presidents' Day sales | US | Shops |
| Sun 7 Mar | Mothering Sunday | UK, Ireland | Gifts, florists, restaurants |
| Mon 8 Mar | International Women's Day | All | Businesses with a real story to tell |
| Wed 17 Mar | St Patrick's Day | Ireland; widely kept in the US, Canada, UK and Australia | Pubs, venues, food and drink |
| Fri 26 to Mon 29 Mar | Easter: Good Friday, Easter Sunday (28 Mar), Easter Monday | All; public holidays in most | Gifts and food; services announce closures |
| Wed 31 Mar | End of the financial year | New Zealand | Accountants, business buyers, equipment |
| Mon 5 Apr | End of the UK tax year | UK | Accountants, financial services |
| Thu 15 Apr | US tax filing deadline (check) | US | Accountants, financial services |
| Thu 22 Apr | Earth Day | All | Businesses with a genuine environmental story |
| Sun 25 Apr | Anzac Day: remembrance, not a sales day | Australia, New Zealand | No selling |
| Sun 9 May | Mother's Day | US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand; EU countries vary | Gifts, florists, restaurants |
| Mon 31 May | Memorial Day sales | US | Shops |
| June, to Wed 30 Jun | End of the financial year: EOFY sales, tax-time giving | Australia | Shops, business buyers, nonprofits |
| Sun 20 Jun | Father's Day | US, UK, Canada | Gifts, experiences |
| Thu 1 Jul | Canada Day | Canada | Local events, food and drink |
| Sun 4 Jul (holiday Mon 5 Jul) | Independence Day | US | Shops, events |
| Late Jul to early Sep | Back to school (check term dates) | US, Canada, UK, Europe | Schoolwear, school supplies, tutoring |
| Sun 5 Sep | Father's Day | Australia, New Zealand | Gifts, experiences |
| Mon 6 Sep | Labor Day (US), Labour Day (Canada) | US, Canada | End-of-summer sales; business buyers back at work |
| Mon 11 Oct | Thanksgiving | Canada | Food, hosting, thanking customers |
| Sun 31 Oct | Halloween | US, Canada, UK, Ireland | Costumes, sweets, events |
| Thu 11 Nov | Singles' Day | Started in China; some online shops everywhere | Online shops |
| Thu 11 Nov | Remembrance Day: remembrance, not a sales day | UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand | No selling |
| Thu 25 to Mon 29 Nov | Thanksgiving (Thu), Black Friday (Fri), Small Business Saturday (Sat), Cyber Monday (Mon) | US; Black Friday and Cyber Monday in all six | Shops, local retail, anything giftable |
| Tue 30 Nov | Giving Tuesday | Started in the US, now worldwide | Nonprofits |
Each date is worked out from its occasion's rule, "the second Sunday in May" and so on, and checked against the day of the week. Check a date before you build a campaign on it.
Days that move
- Lunar New Year, Ramadan and Eid, Passover, Diwali and Hanukkah follow a lunar or lunisolar calendar and fall on different dates each year. Check this year's date for each.
- School terms differ by state, region and school.
- Carriers' last posting dates for Christmas change every year. After the cut-off, switch the email to what still arrives in time: gift cards, vouchers, bookings and local pickup.
Days for remembrance
Anzac Day (25 April, Australia and New Zealand) and Remembrance Day (11 November, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) aren't sales days. In Australia, using the word "Anzac" in trade needs the government's permission, so leave it out of anything you sell with.
Doing it here
- Pick the day and time each campaign goes, so a date's emails can be ready weeks ahead: Can I schedule a campaign for later?
- A big list takes time to reach everyone, so start a dated email early, never in the last hours before its deadline: How long does a campaign take to send?
Tip
The year at a glance, market by market, is drawn in the free guide Everything you need to know about email marketing.
Related
Plan your email yearWrite the year on one page before any email: the goal as one number, who gets what, a steady weekly day, the sequences first, four to eight dates that fit what you sell, list growth, one test at a time, and review dates. Each date becomes a short sequence, prepared weeks ahead.22 stepsWelcome, newsletter, offer and launch emailsThe four emails most businesses send most. A welcome keeps the sign-up's promise in its first screen, a newsletter is a contents page with one labelled offer, an offer puts what, how much, until when and the button in the first screen, and a launch names the new thing by what it lets the reader do.30 stepsHow often to sendWeekly, on a set day, is the place to start, and never less than monthly. Send most to the people who engage, count everything one person gets, and step up only when your own numbers say so.4 steps