This list of equality and diversity related dates, events, and awareness weeks (such as Mental Health Awareness Day and Interfaith Week) helps keep our community up-to-date on all EDI events for our staff and students.
All dates are shown using the Gregorian (Western) calendar. The calendar is accurate, but some dates may vary regionally because they are determined by the lunar calendar. Jewish festivals usually begin at sundown on the previous day.
If you would like to include an event on this calendar, please contact portalservices@stmarys.ac.uk and ask for your event to be tagged EDI.
No events are currently scheduled. Make sure to check our previous events.
Key dates and awareness days 2024
January
- All month: Cervical Cancer Awareness Month
- 4th January: World Braille Day
- 7th January: Orthodox Christmas
- 16th January: World Religion Day
- 27th January: Holocaust Memorial Day
February
- All month: LGBTQ+ History Month
- 4th February: World Cancer Day
- 10th February: Lunar New Year
- 11th February: International Day of Women and Girls in Science
- 14th February: Ash Wednesday (start of Lent)
- 20th February: World Day of Social Justice
March
- All month: Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and Women's History Month
- 8th March: International Women's Day
- 11th March: Ramadan * begins
- 14th March: Universal Mental Health Day
- 16th-23rd March: Carers' Week
- 21st March: World Down Syndrome Day
- 25th March: Holi *
- 29th March: Good Friday
- 31st March: Easter Sunday
- 31st March: International Transgender Day of Visibility
April
- All month: Autism Awareness Month, Stress Awareness Month, Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, and Parkinson's Awareness Month
- 2nd April: World Autism Awareness Day
- 6th April: International Asexuality Day
- 7th April: World Health Day
- 10th April: Eid al-Fitr *
- 14th April: Vaisakhi/Baisakhi
- 22nd April: Stephen Lawrence Day
- 22nd April: Earth Day
- 23rd April: St George's Day
- 23rd-30th April: Passover
- 26th April: Lesbian Visibility Day
May
- All month: Stroke Awareness Month, and UK National Walking Month
- 2nd-3rd May: Eid al-Fitr
- 5th May: International Family Equality Day
- 6th-12th May: Deaf Awareness Week
- 13th-19th May: Mental Health Awareness Week
- 11th May: National Day for Staff Networks
- 16th May: Global Accessibility Awareness Day
- 17th May: International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia
- 20th-26th May: Dementia Awareness Week
- 21st May: World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
- 30th May: The feast of Corpus Christi
- 31st May: Visitation of the blessed virgin Mary
June
- All month: LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month
- 8th June: Global Wellness Day
- 9th June: Race Unity Day
- 10th June: Men's Health Week
- 23rd June: Pentecost
July
- All month: Disability Pride Month
- 7th July: Islamic New Year *
- 14th July: International Non-binary People's Day
- 18th July - 17th August: South Asian Heritage Month
August
- 18th July - 17th August: South Asian Heritage Month
- 19th August: Rashka Bandhan
- 19th August: World Humanitarian Day
September
- All month: Blood Cancer Awareness Month
- 10th September: World Suicide Prevention Day
- 21st September: World Alzheimer's Day
- 23rd September: Bi Visibility Day
- 23rd September: International Day of Sign Languages
October
- All month: Black History Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Down Syndrome Awareness Month, World Menopause Month, and Global Diversity Awareness Month
- 3rd-4th October: Rosh Hashanah *
- 10th October: World Mental Health Day
- 11th October: National Coming Out Day
- 12th October: Yom Kippur *
- 18th October: Anti-Slavery Day
- 18th October: World Menopause Day
- 26th October: Intersex Awareness Day
- 29th October: World Stroke Day
November
- All month: Lung Cancer Awareness Month, Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, Movember Men's Mental Health Month, and the start of Disability History Month
- 1st November: Diwali **
- 1st November: Bandi Chhor Divas
- 10th-17th November: UK Interfaith Week
- 13th-19th November: Transgender Awareness Week
- 19th November: International Men's Day
- 20th November: Transgender Day of Remembrance
- 25th November: International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
December
- All month: Universal Month for Human Rights
- 1st December: World Aids Day
- 3rd December: International Day of Persons with Disabilities
- 10th December: Human Rights Day
- 18th-26th December: Hanukkah
- 25th December: Christmas
- 26th December-2nd January: Hanukkah *
* Holy day that usually begins in the evening of the previous day.
** Date may vary due to religious customs.