April 16, 2026, is the 106th day of the year, with 259 days remaining, and it falls on a Thursday — the third Thursday in April — in the sixteenth week of the year.
With 19 national and international days on the calendar, April 16 is a Thursday that rewards both the body and the mind, from high-fiving strangers and singing out loud for World Voice Day, to protecting elephants, appreciating librarians, making healthcare decisions, and celebrating the strange, subterranean genius of fungi.
National Days on April 16
All national & international days celebrated today
19 celebrations on this dayNational High Five Day
The third Thursday of April is the day to high-five everyone you meet — colleagues, strangers, dogs, anyone — in celebration of one of the most universally understood human gestures. The high five is thought to have been invented in 1977 by baseball player Dusty Baker.
World Voice Day
A global annual event dedicated to celebrating and protecting the human voice — the instrument we rely on for communication, art, identity, and connection. The 2026 theme is “Caring for Our Voices,” with a focus on vocal health awareness and research.
Save The Elephant Day
Raising awareness of the threats facing the world’s largest land animal — poaching for ivory, habitat destruction, and human-wildlife conflict. Both African and Asian elephant populations have declined dramatically and both species are now listed as vulnerable or endangered.
Day of the Mushroom
A celebration of fungi in all their extraordinary variety — from culinary mushrooms to medicinal varieties, bioluminescent species, and the underground mycelial networks that connect entire forests. Mushrooms are neither plant nor animal, but their own remarkable kingdom.
Here’s every observance celebrated on April 16, 2026.
National & International Days on April 16
Whether you’re high-fiving your colleagues, wearing pajamas to work, asking an atheist a genuine question, eating Eggs Benedict, or pausing to appreciate the quiet heroism of a librarian, here’s the story behind each of these April 16 celebrations.
College Student Grief Awareness Day
College Student Grief Awareness Day* (Third Thursday in April) was created by the Actively Moving Forward (AMF) program to highlight the mental health struggles of grieving college students. Limited support and peer understanding can make grief especially isolating. This awareness day calls for more empathy, resources, and conversation on college campuses across the nation.
D.A.R.E. Day
D.A.R.E. Day* (Third Thursday in April): D.A.R.E.—Drug Abuse Resistance Education—was launched in 1983 and proclaimed a national observance in 1988 by President Reagan. This school-based program teaches children to resist drugs and violence while now incorporating modern topics like bullying and internet safety. The day reminds us of the lasting impact of early education on healthy decision-making.
Day of the Mushroom
Day of the Mushroom highlights all types of mushrooms. From button mushrooms to shiitake and portobello, mushrooms play a role in global cuisines and ecosystems alike. On April 16, fans of fungi recognize their unique role in both culinary and ecological spheres. While the origin of this day remains unclear, its popularity continues to grow, much like the mushrooms it honors.
🍄🟫 A similar day, National Mushroom Day is celebrated on October 15.
Get to Know Your Customers Day
Get to Know Your Customers Day* (Third Thursday of each quarter): This quarterly observance encourages businesses to deepen relationships with their customers. Building trust and understanding customer needs helps companies better serve their communities and improve loyalty in today’s fast-paced marketplace.
International Pizza Cake Day* (Third Thursday in April) was first introduced in 2014 by Boston Pizza as part of their “Pizza Game Changers” campaign. This playful food holiday celebrates the decadent creation of layered pizzas baked like a cake. Whether you build one from scratch or stack slices from your favorite pizzeria, it’s all about having fun with flavor.
National Bean Counter Day
National Bean Counter Day was founded by CPA Kevin Wenig from Connecticut to recognize accountants and tax professionals who worked tirelessly through tax season. April 16 offers a well-earned break to these professionals, giving them a moment of appreciation and rest after the intensity of Tax Day. While “bean counter” once had a literal meaning, it now refers affectionately to those who meticulously manage numbers and finances.
National Eggs Benedict Day
National Eggs Benedict Day: Eggs Benedict has long been a favorite for breakfast or brunch. This dish consists of poached eggs, Canadian bacon or ham, and Hollandaise sauce over English muffins. Multiple origin stories exist, including one from Delmonico’s in New York and another from Lemuel Benedict at the Waldorf Hotel in 1894. Today, it remains a go-to item on brunch menus across the United States and beyond.
National Healthcare Decisions Day
National Healthcare Decisions Day was founded by Nathan Kottkamp of McGuireWoods LLP. It focuses on encouraging people to prepare advance directives for medical care. The goal is to ensure that individuals’ wishes are known and honored in the event they’re unable to speak for themselves. It also supports education among healthcare providers and the general public about the importance of these decisions in reducing stress for families during difficult times.
National High Five Day
National High Five Day* (Third Thursday in April) started in 2002 at the University of Virginia, thanks to students Conor Lastowka, Sam Miotke, and Wynn Walent. Inspired by the iconic gesture, the day encourages spontaneous positivity. Whether it’s for a personal win or a random act of kindness, it’s the perfect excuse to raise your hand and celebrate human connection.
National Librarian Day
National Librarian Day was established by the American Library Association in 1958 and revived in 2004 to honor librarians for their role in supporting literacy, access to knowledge, and community learning. From organizing collections to helping people find reliable resources, librarians are essential to education and lifelong learning.
National Orchid Day
National Orchid Day: Mike and Faith Young founded National Orchid Day in 2014 to honor the memory of their daughter, Orchid Faith. After volunteering at an orchid reserve in Mexico, the couple chose to name their child after the flower, and following her passing during labor, they created this day as a tribute. Orchids are celebrated for their beauty, diversity, and delicate structure, with thousands of known species around the world.
National Pathway Day
National Pathway Day was created in 2025 by Porterville Unified School District Pathways Department to recognize Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs that prepare high school and community college students for careers in specialized industries. These programs integrate academic learning with real-world experience, helping students gain practical skills while preparing for further education or entry into the workforce.
National Reveal the Genius Within Day
National Reveal the Genius Within Day honors Shokare Nakpodia, the founder of DreamWeek and a passionate advocate for open dialogue and community-driven solutions. Celebrated on Nakpodia’s birthday, April 16, the day encourages people to share ideas, connect across differences, and reveal their own inner brilliance through community engagement and discussion.
National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day
National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day was started in 2004 by Pajamagram as a way to decompress the day after Tax Day. It’s especially popular among accountants and office workers who’ve worked late nights filing tax returns. The idea is simple: wear your pajamas to work and enjoy a relaxed, cozy day as a reward for all that stress.
Save The Elephant Day
Save The Elephant Day was created in 2012 by the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation in Thailand and Canadian filmmaker Patricia Sims to bring attention to the importance of elephant conservation. With threats like habitat loss and poaching still prevalent, the day encourages global efforts to protect these intelligent, social creatures. The release of the documentary “Return to the Forest,” narrated by William Shatner, helped launch the international awareness campaign.
Support Teen Literature Day
Support Teen Literature Day* (First Thursday of National Library Week) started in 2007 to promote young adult literature and works to reengage teens with reading. Events often include book drives, author visits, and discussions about how books can reflect and shape teenage life.
Teach Your Daughter to Volunteer Day
Teach Your Daughter to Volunteer Day encourages parents to introduce their daughters to volunteering. Philanthropy can take many forms, from helping out at shelters and community centers to donating a portion of allowance money to causes they care about. The day serves as a reminder to nurture empathy, responsibility, and community awareness from an early age.
World Semicolon Day
World Semicolon Day supports suicide prevention and mental health awareness. Closely tied to Project Semicolon, a nonprofit founded to provide hope and encouragement for those struggling with mental illness, the day invites people to share stories, wear semicolon symbols, and advocate for better mental health support and understanding.
World Voice Day
World Voice Day was first celebrated in Brazil in 1999 and now is observed globally, to promote awareness of vocal health and the importance of the human voice in communication. Professionals such as singers, teachers, and public speakers are especially encouraged to take part. The American Academy of Otolaryngology officially recognized it in 2002, and events are held to educate the public on voice care and vocal disorders.
