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Key retail dates for Q4 2024

Danielle Collard
18 Sep 2024

So whether you build a whole event around World Food Day, or you just use Stress Awareness Day as a reason to post on social media, here’s our guide to the key dates for retail and hospitality in Q4 2024.

October key dates for retail

LGBTQ+ History Month (US)

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

National Book Month (US, UK)

5th October – World Teacher’s Day

10th October – World Mental Health Day

14th October – Indigenous People’s Day

16th October – World Food Day

24th October – United Nations Day

27th October – British Summertime ends

31st October – Halloween

31st October – Diwali

With people already planning their Halloween parties, outfits, and home decorations, there’s no time like the present to fix up a display with some spooky product lines and boost your October figures.

Halloween is far from the only highlight of the month, though. October is National Book Month in both the UK and USA, so why not bring some literary life into your store with promotions around the latest best-sellers? You could even consider inviting local authors or hosting a talk or reading.

Other October offerings include World Teacher’s Day (5th), World Mental Health Day (10th), and World Food Day (16th). 

Breast Cancer Awareness Month also arrives in October, with Wear it Pink Day on the 21st. This is an important cause to huge portions of the community, and getting your business involved is a fantastic way to boost local engagement while working with your customers for a good cause. 

November key dates

Movember

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

5th November – Bonfire Night

6th November – Stress Awareness Day

10th November – Remembrance Sunday (UK)

11th November – Veterans Day (US)

13th November – Roast Dinner Day

14th November – King’s Birthday (UK)

19th November – Entrepreneurs Day

21st November – ​Beaujolais Nouveau

28th November – Thanksgiving (US)

29th November – Black Friday

30h November – St Andrew’s Day

Towards the end of November, Black Friday sends shoppers cash crazy as they go out (and online) searching for savings on presents for themselves, their family, and their friends. Start your promotions early and you can expect November to exceed all expectations as the Christmas boom starts to hit. But make sure you keep something in reserve as Black Friday should be one of your best days of the year (unless you don’t like crowds!)

Beyond Black Friday, November has plenty to offer, from Bonfire Night (5th) to King Charles’ birthday in the UK (14th) to St. Andrew’s Day (30th) not to mention Thanksgiving (28th). These provide ample opportunity to celebrate and to get your seasonal staff ready for the Christmas rush to come.

Remembrance Sunday in the UK (10th) and Veterans Day in the States (11th) are important dates for both nations, honouring the sacrifices made by their armed forces. Promotions and discounts for veterans and serving soldiers, or a social media post or poster in your window, are fantastic ways to show your support, though there are plenty of other ways you can get involved.

December key dates

Decembeard

National Write a Business Plan Month

Month of Giving

1st December – Advent begins

2nd December – Cyber Monday

3rd December – National Day of Giving

9th December – Green Monday

11th December – UNICEF Day For Change

24th December – Christmas Eve

25th December – Christmas Day

26th December – Boxing Day

27th December – Leftovers Day

31st December – Hogmanay/New Year’s Eve

With Christmas looming, December is hectic enough, even before you consider other key dates. Cyber Monday arrives right at the start of the month, following Black Friday. Online retailers should also keep a close eye on Green Monday – another busy e-commerce day.

Charitable and community-minded dates in December include the National Day of Giving in the US (3rd), followed by the UNICEF Day for Change (11th). 

Then, it’s Christmas and New Year! Managing your stock and keeping on top of the queues will be a challenge all month, but there are good signs that this will be a busy year in retail and hospitality, with New Year’s Eve landing just a few days after the Christmas break, with more partying in order. It’ll be worth the effort!