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Need some May Social Media Ideas? In this post we share a packed list of Social Media Holidays for May in 2021, with bucketloads of images, social videos, GIFs and more – including Canva templates! You’ll never run out of May content ideas again!

BY DONNA MORITZ | UPDATED APRIL, 2021 | CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS

Posts on this blog may contain affiliate links, which means we receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase through a link. 

We’ve rounded up a list of popular and international holidays as well as some weird and wacky celebration days for May – recently updated for 2021 dates!

You won’t run out of ideas with our May Social Media ideas – from daily to weekly and even monthly celebrations in May. Bookmark this post and keep it for later reference on an annual basis. 

What Comes With The May Social Media Ideas?

Here’s what we’ve included with our May Social Media Ideas:

• a handy infographic to use as a quick reference guide for the main holidays for the month of May. 
• Ideas for what to create in terms of visuals and how to create them – with images, videos and GIFs…use your imagination!
• tools and resources for creating visual content, using the Social Media Holidays as your inspiration. Refer back to this calendar at any time!

Tips for Scheduling Your May Content

Creating content can be time-consuming. The key is to schedule it ahead of time. Here are a few tips to make it easier for you!

If you follow the tips and ideas in this post you can literally have a month’s worth of content created and scheduled out in no time at all. And if you’re feeling lazy, we’ve got some videos and GIFs you can use right away to share! Try these tips for videos and GIFs:

1. Use templates. I’ve recommended a bunch of tools at the end of this post and they include templates to help you design. Let the templates guide you! Why spend ages creating a design if you are not a designer? The designer has already done all the hard work creating templates for you – leverage them and use them to create something custom. Edit just the text or photo or colors, and not every single element of the design… the more you change the more chance you have of messing it up if you’re a non-designer. (sorry, but it’s true and that goes for me too!). 
2. Create visual content in batches. If you’re going to get into your creative space, make it worthwhile…. create a bunch of things at once – images, videos, or GIFs. With batching you are creating 5-10-20 pieces of content, not just one. Once you start creating you’ll be on a roll, so it’s much quicker to create more than one. Then you can free your time up for other important tasks.
3. Create short social video for social media post – get started with creating short, easy consumed videos, vs long form YouTube video content (although that is also awesome). Think shorter, 15-30 second videos. Get more tips for creating 15 second videos, in this post.
4. Create content we can easily consume. This includes quotes, tips and funny observational humour posts – great for engagement, especially on Facebook where we tend to scroll through and consume content quickly.
5. Add more Personality with GIFs – Whether creating your own GIFs (I’ve added tips below for doing just that) or sharing one of millions of GIFs in the Giphy library, you’ll add humour and personality with a GIF. Add them to your social media posts, emails or blog posts.

We’ve put together a quick reference guide to some of the important May Social Media Holidays for 2021. So, now you can share it or save it to Pinterest for later reference:

Want the full 2021 Social Media Holiday Infographic? Click here.

I’ve included at least one holiday “day” for every day in our May list of social media ideas and holidays. I’ve also included hashtags, tools, tips and resources for creating visual content in 2021. This post will be updated annually to check dates. We’ll also add content as we create or discover it. So keep it bookmarked to refer back to! 

1. May Day – celebrated around the world on the 1st May this is a spring time festival. Use #MayDay to celebrate or post about it.

And if it’s not Spring in your part of the world then go for National Chocolate Parfait Day instead! Find out more here.

Held annually on the first Saturday in May, it’s International Drone Day #InternationalDroneDay #DroneDay on May 1st. Today is all about drones – maybe this is a great day to post an overhead shot or drone imagery or talk to your audience about drone photography. Make a video like this one using your own video footage or footage from Canva:

Use this video template free with a Canva Pro account or get 45 days free on Canva Pro here

Another unusual day of celebration is Free Comic Book Day, Find out more here. #FreeComicBookDayheld is held annually on the first Saturday in May.

A celebration of Hawaiian culture also occurs today, with Lei Day.

2. Today is National Brothers and Sisters Day (US) – it seems siblings get a good run of it after having Siblings Day in April!

For the Harry Potter Fans, it’s also International Harry Potter Day #HarryPotterDay.

And for humor-related content, it’s World Laughter Day on the 1st Sunday in May. A great day to share something funny or designed to give us a good belly laugh!

3. WordSmith Day (#WordSmithDay) is observed annually on May 3rd. Share some wise words, poetry or quotes from your favourite Wordsmith! Note: a Wordsmith refers to a person who works with words; a skilled writer. Share a quote today!

4. Star Wars Day– If you haven’t been living under a rock every year, you would know about Star Wars Day. It’s celebrated every year on May the 4th so go crazy posting about your favourite Star Wars characters, quotes or movies. May the 4th Be With You! Use the hashtags #StarWarsDay & #MayThe4thBeWithYou and find out more from Lucas Films here.

It’s also International Firefighters Day and World Asthma Day. #WorldAsthmaDay.

5. Cinco De Mayo – Every 5th May is CincoDeMayo, a Mexican holiday but celebrated in a bigger way in the US. Create content around all things Mexico, Margaritas and Tacos! #CincoDeMayo

It’s also National Teacher’s Appreciation Day. Now more than every it might be a good day to thank a Teacher!

And thank a Midwife today, as it’s International Day of the Midwife.

6. Tourist Appreciation Day (US) – as an avid tourist I’m all for appreciating tourists and never more than right now – even if it is changing the focus to being a tourist in your own backyard or local town/suburb. I’ve also had the fortunate experience of speaking at tourism events and for tourism organisations around the world. So it’s a great opportunity to recognise the humble tourist and promote local operators! Partner up with other local operators and thank your tourists (and locals) while promoting each other’s businesses, especially in times of downturn or changes to operating conditions.

It’s also National Nurses Day (US). Never has there been a better time to thank our Nurses (also see 12th May!)

And don’t forget World Password Day – held on the first Thursday in May. We all need a reminder to update our passwords, right? today is World Password Day, all about reminding us of the importance of protecting ourselves with passwords… strong passwords. And in doing so, this day is designed to help us learn more about cyber security. Time to change your passwords?

7. Today is National Cosmopolitan Day. Bring out your inner Carrie Bradshaw and embrace this classic cocktail on National Cosmo Day. Cheers! 

It’s also National Space Day (US) – held on the first Friday in May annually. Talk about all things Space on #SpaceDay, held annually on the first Friday in May. Remember that NASA has cool Space GIFs if you need to share something out of this world:

8. World Ovarian Cancer Day – Each year on May 8, women living with ovarian cancer and their families and supporters come together to raise awareness about Ovarian Cancer. This is an initiative of the  World Ovarian Cancer Coalition.

It’s also World Fair Trade Day.

9. Europe Day – From castles to churches to beaches, snow-topped mountains, museums and colorful languages. Today is a day to post about Europe. Use the hashtag #EuropeDay.

It’s also Mother’s Day in the United States AND Australia. So go and spoil your Mamma! It’s also Clean Up Your Room Day #CleanUpYourRoomDay and I can guarantee that a clean room will make any Mamma happy!

10. National Shrimp Day – Shrimp, Prawns, Bubba Gump… today (in the US) is about all things crustacean and shrimp! Shrimp cocktail anyone?

It’s also Clean Up Your Room Day. Use #CleanUpYourRoom. Note taken.

11. Eat What You Want Day … so go forth and eat what you want today! Or post a picture about what you indulged in! Maybe even share this fun video about eating all the chocolate…

Use this video template free with a Canva Pro account or get 45 days free on Canva Pro here

12. National Limerick Day is today (#LimerickDay), so you might feel creatively inclined to write a Limerick? A Limerick is a 5 line poem (that’s usually funny or fun) where the last words of lines 1, 2 and 5 (which each have 8 syllables) rhyme. Check out this video for tips.

It’s also International Nurses Day #NursesDay so find a nurse and thank them or post about how wonderful they are on your social channels.

And it’s World Receptionists Day so thank your favourite front office staff.

13. Top Gun Day #TopGunDay is all about feeling the need… the need for speed. If you are a fan of the movie Top Gun, or maybe your audience is, then today is the day to reminisce about Goose and Maverick! Share a movie clip or GIF! Find out more here.

Today is also World Cocktail Day. Bottoms Up! #WorldCocktailDay

Hint: you can use this template for any upcoming event or cause for celebration or self-care!

It’s also National Receptionists Day – Celebrate your can’t-do-without receptionist or office manager today. Maybe let him or her take over your Instagram Stories or Facebook account with some behind-the-scenes content or tips for your industry! Find out more here.

14. Dylan Thomas Day #DylanThomas is a celebrated Welsh Poet and Writer. Share a quote by Dylan Thomas. Or just a quote about the power of the written word.

15. International Day of Families – Today is all about celebrating the family – in any shape, form or size. This is an official Unesco day of celebration. Find out more here.

It’s also National Chocolate Chip Day, which might be the perfect snack to enjoy with your family. Or wine.

And last but not least, it’s World Whisky Day. A day of global whisky appreciation and perhaps a wee dram! Find out more about World Whisky Day here. If you’re wondering what the difference between Whisky and Whiskey is – it’s just the country of origin. The Scots use Whisky and the Irish use Whiskey.

16. National Biographer’s Day – Have you read a great biography? Maybe your audience has. Ask them! The 16th May is Biographer’s Day to commemorate the anniversary of the day that Samuel Johnson met his biographer James Boswell in London – on the 16th – in 1763. It’s a day to honor our biographers and talk about their works… the books we love to read about people in history – a written account of another person’s life, not to be confused with an autobiography.

It’s also Love a Tree Day so use #LoveATreeDay and go hug a tree!

Stepmother’s Day #StepmothersDay is also today to honor the unique relationship and bond of stepmothers with their stepchildren. It’s held on the first Sunday after Mother’s Day each year.

And if you love Mimosa’s it’s also National Mimosa Day.

17. After all that has happened in the past year, this particular day might be quite familiar to many people.. it’s Work from Home Day. Celebrate your working-from-home self or those in your community that work from home on this day. #WorkFromHomeDay.

And if you fancy baking, today is World Baking Day #WorldBakingDay so get your bake on. Or maybe you’re still eating chocolate chip cookies.

It’s also Walnut Day. #WalnutDay.

18. International Museum Day – time to go and visit one of your local museums. Held annually on the 18th May.

19. Devils Food Cake Day – who doesn’t love a classic chocolate cake? Known as Devil’s Food Cake in the US, chocolate cake is fabulous, no matter what you call it.

It’s also May Ray Day. It’s a day to celebrate Spring and sunny days in the US so a great day to get out of the office and soak up some rays!

20. World Bee Day – If you didn’t know already, bees have had a hard time of it lately with disease killing off huge colonies the world over. It’s rather scary given that bees are responsible for the pollenation of a a huge percentage of our food crops, so we need to protect them for more than honey.

Put simply, without bees, we’d probably starve, so they are important little critters. Find out more about protecting bees here and share some bee related content around World Bee Day so we can all do our part to protect them.

Today is also National Rescue Dog Day – observed annually on May 20th.

And it’s Be a Millionaire Day – a great day to talk about all things being a millionaire.

21. It’s National Memo Day #NationalMemoDay …. and Endangered Species Day too – it’s a day for talking about Endangered Species and the protection of the animals we all love. Find out more here.

It’s also International Virtual Assistants Day – held annually on the 3rd Friday of May. If you work online then there’s a good chance you’ve used the services of a Virtual Assistant sometime. I know that many parts of my business couldn’t surivive without them over the years. If you have a virtual assistant on your team, celebrate them today or feature them on your Instagram Stories! Maybe do a serial story takeover if you have more than one VA to feature!

22. International Sherlock Holmes Day– All things Dr Watson and Mr Holmes are celebrated annually on 22nd May. Find out more here. It’s celebrated on the birthday of the author of the Sherlock Holme’s books – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Perhaps a quote from the famous Dr Holmes is in order?

It’s also National Maritime Day (US).

23. World Turtle Day – today is all about the turtle and a popular day worldwide to celebrate our ocean wildlife. Find out more here.

24. National Scavenger Hunt Day – time for a real or virtual scavenger hunt!

25. Geek Pride Day – Are you a proud Geek? Today is the day to promote geek culture celebrated annually on the 25th May. It’s also National Wine Day in the US, so geek out while drinking wine.

26. World Paper Airplane Day – Paper planes have held our fascination over decades and today is World Paper Airplane Day.

It’s also World Dracula Day. Bleh bleh bleh…. Find out about who the real person was behind the Dracula stories here.

Oh and if you love cheesecake, today is National Blueberry Cheesecake Day. Yum.

27. Cellophane Tape Day – today is a day to celebrate the humble cellophane tape (or sticky tape as we know it in Australia).

It’s also Nothing to Fear Day #NothingToFear.

28. Hamburger Day – Need we say more? Who doesn’t love a Hamburger? Now there’s a day on which to love it! As if we really need a day for that ;o) #HamburgerDay

29. National Biscuit Day – this is all about the sweet variety of biscuit found in countries like Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain. Time to break open your packet of Tim Tams!

It’s also PaperClip Day– #PaperclipDay is because we can’t do without them, or at least for years it’s been that way… probably less so now that we are so much more paperless. Themes around paper supplies and organisation could also work for posts around Paperclip Day.

30. World MS Day – Knowing many friends who are livng with Multiple Sclerosis this is an important day on the annual calendar for me. Find out more about World MS Day here and use the hashtags #WorldMSDay #MyInvisibleMS this year.

31. World No Tobacco Day #NoTobaccoDay is a day initiated by the World Health Organisation, about the impact that tabacco has on the health of our community the world over. Use the hashtag #NoTobaccoDay in your posts to support the goal of reduced tobacco consumption and stricter controls for tobacco.

On a sweeter note it’s also World Macaron Day. Not to be confused with the delicious Macaroon, Macaroons are also delicious but totally different. Maybe share the difference with your audience! In short, the essential ingredient is different … in macarons it’s almond meal (and other yummy flavours and buttercream icing mixes), and macaroons it’s shredded coconut.

Macaroons might make you smile, which is great as it’s also National Smile Day.

And finally, it’s Memorial Day (US), a well-loved holiday in the United States. It might be a little different in 2020 but it will still be special. Held on the last Monday in May, annually.

Here’s a quick list of May week-long and month-long holidays to dive into to find week-long social media ideas:

• National Nurses Week – first full week of the month of May
• National Police Week (US) – Sunday 9th May to 15th May
• National Bike Week (bike to work) – third week in May.
• National Barbecue Month
• National Salsa Month
• National Salad Month
• National Bicycle Safety Month
• National Hamburger Month
• National Pet Month
• National Strawberry Month
• International Year of Plant Health
• International year of the Nurse and the Midwife.

Video and Animation Tools for Creating Video Content

Here’s a list of tools for you to find Video content ideas to create videos or GIFs quickly and easily for your social media channels.

1. Wave.Video

Wave is is my go-to video tool for creating easy-to-share social video. The thing I love about Wave is their template library, huge library of image and video assets (included in your monthly membership), moveable text and the ability to add stickers to your content.

2. Giphy

Giphy is the best source online for finding GIFs to share from their GIF library. Simply go to their website and search on the hashtags that you want to find GIFs for. Get creative with your hashtag combinations and you’ll find all sorts of gems!  I also have a branded Giphy Channel and will be sharing my GIFs in these monthly posts so you’ll find some fun ones in there to share too. You can find out more about Giphy in this post and in this post.

Hot Tip:  You can also access any of the Giphy creations from Twitter, Facebook or Instagram Stories! Simply use the Giphy/GIF search and enter in the hashtag you want to use. Because I have a Giphy Channel if you enter in #SociallySorted on Instagram Stories you can find all of my GIF Stickers too!

3. GifMaker

This is one my favourite GIF editing tools. It’s super easy to edit, crop, create GIFs from images. I love that they also let you host GIFs on their platform – which is great for quick GIFs that you want to create and share on your website or in an email (when maybe you don’t want to host them publicly on Giphy).

4. Stop Motion Animation

A new tool I’ve discovered that is GREAT for creating short stop-motion animation videos is LifeLapse. Check it out in this post and you can download it here ready to use for creating social videos to post on Instagram, Facebook, websites and more!

Want more Social Media Content Calendar ideas?

Check out our complete 12-month calendar for 2020 in this post:

Over to You

Do you schedule your content ahead? What are your Favourite May Social Media holidays and have we missed any?