The Security Industry Authority (SIA) and the International Professional Security Association (IPSA) have produced a calendar of the key culture and belonging events for 2026. Celebration and awareness days are great opportunities to open and develop important conversations.
PGFM is proud to be an IPSA member. Below are the dates from the calendar, followed by the six tips it gives for making the most of them.
January
- New Year’s Day: 1 January
- World Braille Day: 4 January
- Guru Gobind Singh ji’s Prakash Purb: 5 January
- Lohri: 13 January
- World Religion Day: 19 January
- Martin Luther King Day: 20 January
- International Day of Education: 24 January
- Holocaust Memorial Day: 27 January
February
LGBT History Month
- Sri Guru Ravidas Ji Jayanti, World Hijab Day and Time to Talk Day: 1 February
- Race Equality Week: 2 to 8 February
- World Cancer Day: 4 February
- National Apprenticeship Week: 9 to 15 February
- Valentine’s Day: 14 February
- Nirvana Day: 15 February
- Lunar New Year: 17 February
- Ramadan: 17 February to 19 March
- World Day of Social Justice: 20 February
- International Stand Up To Bullying Day: 24 February
- National Stand Up To Bullying Day: 27 February
March
- St David’s Day: 1 March
- Holi: 4 March
- Employee Appreciation Day: 7 March
- International Women’s Day: 8 March
- Mother’s Day: 15 March
- St Patrick’s Day: 17 March
- Neurodiversity Celebration Week: 17 to 23 March
- Lent: 18 March to 2 April
- Eid al-Fitr: 19 to 20 March
- Navratri: 19 to 27 March
- End Racism Day: 21 March
- World Bipolar Day: 30 March
April
Celebrate Diversity Month
- World Autism Awareness Day: 2 April
- Good Friday: 3 April
- Easter Sunday: 5 April
- Easter Monday: 6 April
- World Health Day: 7 April
- Vaisakhi: 14 April
- St George’s Day: 23 April
May
- Vesak (Buddha Day): 1 May
- International Family Equality Day: 3 May
- Deaf Awareness Week: 5 to 11 May
- Europe Day: 9 May
- Mental Health Awareness Week: 11 to 17 May
- International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia: 17 May
- Global Accessibility Awareness Day and Cultural Diversity Day: 21 May
- Eid al-Adha: 26 to 30 May
June
Pride Month
- National Carers Week: 8 to 14 June
- Learning Disability Week: 15 to 21 June
- Sri Guru Arjun Devji Martyrdom Day: 18 June
- World Refugee Day: 20 June
- Father’s Day: 21 June
July
- South Asian Heritage Month: 1 to 31 July
- International Stamp Out Spiking Day: 15 July
- Nelson Mandela Day: 18 July
- International Security Officers’ Day: 24 July
- International Day of Friendship: 30 July
August
- International Day of the World’s Indigenous People: 9 August
- International Youth Day: 12 August
- World Humanitarian Day: 19 August
- International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism: 21 August
- Mawlid Al-Nabi: 25 to 26 August
September
- Krishna Janmashtami: 4 September
- International Day of Charity: 5 September
- World Suicide Prevention Day: 10 September
- UN International Day of Peace: 21 September
- International Week of Happiness at Work: 21 to 25 September
- International Day of Sign Languages: 23 September
- International Age Diversity Day: 24 September
- National Inclusion Week: 29 September to 5 October
October
Black History Month, Global Diversity Awareness Month and ADHD Awareness Month
- Dyslexia Awareness Week: 6 to 13 October
- World Mental Health Day: 10 October
- Coming Out Day: 11 October
- World Menopause Day: 18 October
- Halloween: 31 October
November
Movember / Men’s Health Awareness Month and Islamophobia Awareness Month
- Diwali: 8 November
- Remembrance Sunday: 9 November
- World Kindness Day: 13 November
- Transgender Awareness Week: 13 to 19 November
- International Stand Up To Bullying Day: 15 November
- Disability History Month: 16 November to 16 December
- International Men’s Day: 19 November
- Stand Up To Bullying Day: 20 November
- Guru Nanak ji’s Prakash Purb: 24 November
- International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women: 25 November
- St Andrew’s Day: 30 November
December
- World AIDS Day: 1 December
- International Day of Persons with Disabilities: 3 December
- International Mentoring Day and International Volunteer Day: 5 December
- Human Rights Day: 10 December
- Hanukkah: 14 to 22 December
- Christmas Day: 25 December
- Boxing Day: 26 December
Six tips for making the most of these dates
Promote belonging: Highlight important events and promote diversity and inclusion in your workplace. Daily reminders increase awareness and help colleagues feel more valued and appreciated.
Go beyond celebration: The calendar offers chances to build education and understanding as well as awareness. Create guides, webinars, fact sheets, campaign materials, podcasts and workshops.
Involve the community: Involve people from the community you are celebrating. Give them a voice in the planning stages so that your activity resonates.
Less may be more: Treating these occasions as tick-box exercises can feel like tokenism and often does more harm than good. Consider celebrating fewer events, but communicate more thoroughly.
Action speaks louder than words: Avoid empty communications. If you want to celebrate a particular community, look at what your business already does to support them throughout the year.
Bring everyone on the journey: Avoid separate messages floating around the business in silos. Engage other functions, teams and stakeholders to align messaging and tone.
Download the calendar
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