U.S. Holidays and Popular Dates

Mike's Handy List of US Holidays, Celebrations, Observances

• January 1 [every year]: New Year's Day
• January 7, 2010 (thursday): College Football Championship Game
• January 18, 2010: Martin Luther King Day
• January 24 [every year]: Belly Laugh Day [info]
• February 2 [every year]: Groundhog Day
• February 7, 2010 (sunday): Super Bowl XLIV (44) [Pro Football, NFL Championship Game]
• February 12 [every year]: Lincoln's Birthday
• February 14 [every year](sunday in 2010): St. Valentines Day
• February 15, 2010: Presidents Day and Washington's Birthday (observed)
• February 16, 2010: Mardi Gras Carnival in New Orleans. → Mardi Gras Beads and Party Supplies
• February 16, 2010: Fat Tuesday (a.k.a. Paczki Day) - day before Lent starts
• March 17 [every year]: St. Patrick's Day  [info]    go green → Hats, Decorations, Party Items
• March 27, 2010 (saturday) - Earth Hour 8pm to 9pm (your local time). info at bottom of this list.
• April 1 [every year]: April Fool's Day. get great practical jokes and gags at → Pranks Place
• April 2, 2010: Good Friday (U.S. stock market is closed on this day)
• April 4, 2010: Easter Sunday
• April 15, 2010: Tax Day - last day to file federal taxes without penalty.
   U.S. debt per taxpayer is over $111,000 and growing by the second → U.S. National Debt Clock
• April 21, 2010: Administrative Professionals Day (National Secretary's Day) [info]
• April 22 [every year]: Earth Day [info]
• May 1, 2010 (saturday): Kentucky Derby horse race
• May 5 [every year]: Cinco de Mayo
• May 9, 2010: Mother's Day [2nd sunday in May]
• May 15, 2010: Armed Forces Day [3rd saturday in May]
• May 31, 2010 (monday): Memorial Day (observed)
• June 14 [every year]: Flag Day
• June 14-20, 2010: U.S. Open Golf Championship tournament
• June 20, 2010: Father's Day [3rd sunday in June]
• July 4 [July 4th every year]: Independence Day USA
• July 25, 2010: Parents' Day [4th Sunday in July]
• September 6, 2010 (monday): Labor Day
• Sept. 12, 2010: Grandparents' Day [first sunday after Labor Day]
• September 11 [every year]: Patriot Day (commonly referred to as 9/11 or September 11th) - observance to remember those who were injured or died during the terrorist plane attacks in 2001 on the World Trade Center, pentagon, other targets.
• September 16 [every year]: Stepfamily Day [info 1] [info 2]
• September 17 [every year]: Citizenship Day
• Native American Day: 4th friday in September, celebrated (observed) many different days
• October 11, 2010 (monday): Columbus Day (observed, most regions)
• October 16 [every year]: Boss's Day (National Bosses Day)
• October 16, 2010: Sweetest Day [3rd saturday in Oct]
• October 31 [every year]: Halloween - for costumes props decorations → click here
• November 2, 2010: Election Day [first tuesday after first monday in Nov]
• November 11 [every year](wednesday in 2009): Veterans' Day
• November 25, 2010 (thursday): Thanksgiving Day
• Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving, traditional start of Christmas shopping deals.
• Cyber Monday - Monday after Black Friday, the online internet version of Black Friday deals.
• December 7 [every year]: Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day [details] - attacked in 1941, WWII.
• December 2-9, 2010: Chanukah/Hanukkah [info]
• December 25 [every year]: Christmas Day
• December 26 - Jan 1 [every year]: Kwanzaa
• December 31 [every year]: New Year's Eve   for hats, noisemakers, balloons, more → click here

   U.S. Daylight Savings Time 2010
• STARTS: March 14, 2010 at 2am (set clocks ahead one hour)
• ENDS: November 7, 2010 at 2am (set clocks back one hour)

For future reference »» U.S. daylight savings time start/end dates
start: move clocks AHEAD one hour at 2am on the second Sunday in March.
end: move clocks BACK one hour at 2am on the first Sunday of November.

  EARTH HOUR
• MARCH 27, 2010 - Saturday - from 8pm to 9pm (your local time).
info at www.earthhour.org and www.earthhour2010.com - concept is for as many people as possible around the world to turn off lights for an hour. Security and emergency lighting will remain on. Millions of people, businesses, governments and civic organizations around the globe turn off their lights for Earth Hour. More than 100 cities across North America participate. It's done annually on the last saturday in March.

More American Patriotic and National Observances

• ARMY birthday - June 14th
• COAST GUARD birthday - August 4th  [US Coast Guard established 4 August 1790]
• AIR FORCE birthday - September 18th  bonus info → U.S. Air Force Highlights
• NAVY birthday - October 13th
• MARINE CORPS birthday - November 10th

• National Freedom Day: February 1st
• Washington's Birthday: February 22nd (the traditional date, not observed date)
• National Poison Prevention Week: third week in March
• Thomas Jefferson's birthday: April 13th
• Loyalty Day: May 1st
• Law Day, U.S.A.: May 1st
• National Day of Prayer: first Thursday in May (May 6, 2010)
• Police Week: week which has May 15th in it
• Peace Officers Memorial Day: May 15th. (Federal, State, local officers killed or disabled in the line of duty)
• National Maritime Day: May 22nd
• National Flag Week: the week in which June 14th falls
• Honor America Days: June 14th through July 4th
• National Aviation Day: August 19th
• Constitution Week: September 17th through September 23rd
• Gold Star Mother's Day: last Sunday in September (Sept. 16, 2010)
• Child Health Day: first Monday in October (Oct. 4, 2010)
• Leif Erikson Day: October 9th
• Wright Brothers Day: December 17th

Big Events in the U.S.

• College Bowls Mens Football  Dec. 19, 2009 - Jan. 7, 2010. use link for list of bowls, teams, dates.
• January 7, 2010: College Football BCS Championship Game [future dates].
• NFL Playoffs (National Football League) start on January 9, 2010.
• Super Bowl XLIV (44): February 7, 2010 in Miami, Florida (Dolphin Stadium).
• Mardi Gras Carnival: February 16, 2010 in New Orleans. [info site] [web cams] [Future Dates]. annual event. "Carnival celebration starts on January 6, the Twelfth Night (feast of Epiphany); and picks up speed until Midnight on Mardi Gras, the day before Ash Wednesday."
• Daytona 500: February 14, 2010. Nascar car race.
• Bike Week in Daytona Beach, Florida: February 26 - March 7, 2010. motorcycles and partying.
• Tea Party Rallies: different days in many cities throughout the U.S., re: politicians tax and spending.
• Spring Break: overall - 2nd week of March to early April. Each school has it's own specific week(s).
• "March Madness" - Mens College Basketball Title Tournament in March, every year.
• NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2009/2010 (National Hockey League) - starts in April, finals in June.
• NBA Playoffs 2009/2010 (National Basketball Association) - starts in April, finals in June.
• Kentucky Derby: May 1, 2010. Horse racing (first Saturday in May).
• Preakness Stakes: May 15, 2010. Horse racing (two weeks after Kentucky Derby).
• Indianapolis 500: May 30, 2010. (Sunday of Memorial Weekend, every year)
• Belmont Stakes: June 5, 2010. Horse racing (three weeks after the Preakness).
• U.S. Open Golf Championship: June 14-20, 2010 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California.
• Woodward Dream Cruise: August 21, 2010. Annual World Famous Car Cruise held in Metro Detroit, Michigan. The WDC, the most popular car cruise on earth, is on the third Saturday in August every year and celebrated all week leading up to the official day.
• World Series - Major League Baseball (MLB) - starts near the end of October, every year.

on a related note... below are the Olympics dates and locations. Go U.S.!

February 12-28, 2010: Winter Olympic Games 2010 - in Vancouver, Canada.
July 27 - August 12, 2012: Summer Olympic Games 2012 - in London, England.

   For More Sports Info, try ...
• Most Major Sporting Events general info: johnnyroadtrip.com
• Most Major Sporting Events future dates: johnnyroadtrip.com future dates, sites, links
• Super Bowl future dates and locations: SuperBowl.com
• Professional Golf: PGA official site and PGA Tour
• NASCAR Car Racing: NASCAR official site (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)

Valentine's Day - Olympic Games - St. Patrick's Day - Birthdays
Hosting a Party or going to one? Get some great party supplies.
Glow Items, Balloons, Hats, Noisemakers, Party Kits, much more.
Mardi Gras, Anniversaries, Patriotic, Holidays to Weddings!
All Occasions. Get ideas, have fun just browsing. click Party Store.

Some Months Are Known As ...

• February: African American Heritage Month / American Heart Month
• March: National Women's History Month, National Kidney Month
• April: Cancer Control Month
• May: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month / Older Americans Month
• September: National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 through October 15)
• October: National Disability Employment Awareness Month
• November: National American Indian Heritage Month




   Quality websites for information about holidays and important dates
• When Is - dates of religious and civil holidays around the world.
• Good site for holidays and their dates → Holiday Smart
• Good site for resources about significant dates → LibrarySupportStaff.com
• Good site for calendar dates & holiday dates → time and date.com
• Sites with additional info for holidays & dates → [Site 1] [Site 2] [Site 3] [Site 4].
• Very Cool Site → Brownielocks - "bizarre, crazy, silly, unknown holidays and observances"

A Note from Madman Mike Your Musical Slave "This is not a definitive list, nor meant to be. This page is the culmination of more than 25 years taking notes and is primarily a quick reference for those of us in the entertainment business. However, most people find this specific list to be very helpful." "Being involved with events, it is prudent to be aware of dates that people are planning for, celebrating, or talking about. Listed above are the ones that proved to be the most significant." "For more information regarding holidays and observances, links to other websites are supplied. Some have additional information that is copyrighted and won't be found on most web sites including mine."

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