Keeping a calendar of holidays and special events will help any event or meeting planner to avoid scheduling an activity or program when guests may have other conflicting interests or obligations. In some cases, it’s appropriate and relevant to schedule an event on a particular holiday.
However, it is usually best to avoid scheduling events at certain times on the calendar throughout the year. There are many reasons for this, including the fact that many businesses may be closed during a conflicting time, social events may be a priority over business events, or you simply may not be able to compete with another major event and not receive the RSVPs you prefer.
The following calendar of 2009 holidays and special events identifies many important dates that event planners should keep in mind when planning and scheduling events:
January 2009
- January 1 (Thursday), New Year’s Day
- January 19 (Monday), Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- January 26 (Monday), Chinese New Year
February 2009
- February 1 (Sunday), Super Bowl
- February 12 (Thursday), Lincoln’s Birthday (U.S.)
- February 14 (Saturday), Valentine's Day
- February 16 (Monday), President’s Day (U.S.)
- February 16 (Monday), Washington’s Birthday (observed)(U.S.)
- February 22 (Sunday), Academy Awards
- February 24 (Tuesday), Mardi Gras
- February 25 (Wednesday), Ash Wednesday
- Black History Month (U.S.)
March 2009
- March 8 (Sunday), Daylight Savings Time starts (U.S.)
- March 17 (Tuesday), St. Patrick’s Day
April 2009
- April 4, 6 (Saturday, Monday), Final Four (San Antonio, TX)
- April 9 (Thursday), Passover (begins at sundown the previous day)
- April 9 (Thursday), Holy Thursday
- April 10 (Friday), Good Friday
- April 12 (Sunday), Easter
- April 13 (Monday), Easter Monday (UK, Canada)
- April 21 (Tuesday), Holocaust Remembrance Day
- April 22 (Wednesday), Administrative Professionals Day
May 2009
- May 2 (Saturday), Kentucky Derby
- May 4 (Monday), May Day Holiday (UK)
- May 5 (Tuesday, Cinco de Mayo
- May 10 (Sunday), Mother’s Day
- May 13 (Wednesday), Cannes Film Festival (through May 24)
- May 18 (Monday), Victoria Day (Canada, Scotland)
- May 24 (Sunday), Indianapolis 500
- May 25 (Monday), Memorial Day (U.S.)
June 2009
- June 21 (Sunday), Father’s Day
July 2009
- July 1 (Wednesday), Canada Day (Canada)
- July 4 (Saturday), Independence Day (U.S.)
- July 14 (Tuesday), Bastille Day (France)
- July 14 (Tuesday), 2009 MLB All Star Game, Busch Stadium
August 2009
- August 15 (Saturday), Ferragusto, (Italy)
- August 21 (Friday), Ramadan (begins at sunset the previous day)
- August 31 (Monday), Summer Bank Holiday (UK, Ireland)
September 2009
- September 7 (Monday), Labor Day (U.S.)
- September 7 (Monday), Labour Day (Canada)
- Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15-October 15 (U.S.)
- Septebmer 18 (Monday), Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany (ends Oct 3)
- September 19 (Saturday), Rosh Hashanah (begins at sundown the previous day)
- September 28 (Monday), Yom Kippur (begins at sundown the previous day)
October 2009
- October 12 (Monday), Columbus Day
- October 12 (Monday), Thanksgiving (Canada)
- October 31 (Saturday), Halloween
November 2009
- November 1 (Saturday), Daylight Savings Time ends
- November 4 (Wednesday), Election Day (U.S.)
- November 11 (Wednesday), Remembrance Day (UK, Canada)
- November 11 (Wednesday), Veterans Day (U.S.)
- November 26 (Thursday), Thanksgiving (U.S.)
December 2009
- December 12 (Saturday), Hanukkah (begins at sundown the previous day)
- December 25 (Friday), Christmas
- December 26 (Saturday), Kwanzaa
- December 26 (Saturday), Boxing Day (UK, Canada, Ireland)
- January 1, 2009 (Thursday) New Year’s Day
