May is one of those months that’s just packed with reasons to celebrate. Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, and Cinco de Mayo are the obvious ones, but there are so many more if you know where to look.
I’ve put together 20 themed days happening this May plus easy ways to celebrate each one. Choose the ones you love and skip the ones you don’t. This is just a list to get you started, and it doesn’t even include some of the bigger things like graduation!
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May Party Ideas
National Pizza Party Day? Yes please. World Laughter Day? Sign me up. A whole day dedicated to mini golf? I’m in.
These May party ideas include things you can do with people already in your house, ideas to invite friends over, and ideas to get out of your house with people you love!
Also, you never need an excuse to have people over but if you’re anything like me and are a bit anxious about inviting people over without a real reason to – these give you that reason! And I’ll tell you a secret, everybody just wants to be invited.
They’re also a great way to be a fun mom all through the month. Most people don’t even know these days exist so even if you just do something simple, it’s a fun bonus.
May 1 – Devil Wears Prada 2 Release Day
After almost 20 years, we’re finally getting a sequel and it hits theaters on May 1st. Have a Devil Wears Prada watch party so you and your friends can re-watch the first movie before going to see the second.
Or do a high-fashion mocktail hour (this raspberry mocktail is always a hit) at your house with snacks before heading to the theater. Bonus points if you all dress up in your best Miranda Priestly approved looks.
Not into Devil Wears Prada? Have a May Day party instead!
May 2 – Kentucky Derby
Host a Kentucky Derby party with ones of these festive Kentucky Derby party ideas! Play a horse racing game together — ponies is a great one for groups (and one of our favorite board games).
Watch the races while everyone enjoys Kentucky butter cake (or Kentucky butter cookies) and mocktail mint juleps (or nojitos!). Or for a girls night, decorate your own derby hats then watch the race together. Even if you just hang out and don’t actually watch the race, making the hats together is half the fun.
May 3 – World Laughter Day
Honestly, this is my favorite kind of holiday. Invite friends over for an unhinged talent show where the only goal is to make people laugh. Play one of my favorite adult party games like Celebrity that are guaranteed to make people laugh! Hit up a local comedy show. Or just stay home and binge your favorite episodes of the funniest sitcoms together.
Another great option would be to make teacher appreciation gifts (or color in these teacher appreciation coloring pages) with your kids for teacher appreciation week!
May 4 – Star Wars Day
May the Fourth be with you! Have a Star Wars movie night with themed Star Wars foods. Get the lightsabers out for an epic battle — film it and turn it into your own mini movie if you’re feeling extra. Use any of these other Star Wars Day ideas for everything you need for an out of this galaxy day!
And if you really want more ideas, you can try any of these Star Wars games and activities we’ve shared! We’re big Star Wars fans around here!
Oh and p.s., if May 4th doesn’t work for your family, you can always save the Star Wars party for May 22nd instead, when Mandalorian & Grogu hits theaters.
May 5 – Cinco de Mayo
Skip the cooking and meet friends at your favorite Mexican restaurant. Or have a stress-free Cinco de Mayo party where everyone brings their fave Mexican dish to share — think churros, chips and salsa, tacos (this homemade taco meat is the best), all of it. I have a ton of Mexican appetizers, Mexican desserts, and even a Cinco De Mayo charcuterie board if you need inspiration!
For the kids, fill mini pinatas with a treat or two, a little reward (like get to pick the dessert), and small trinkets that are way more fun than just candy. And enjoy sopapilla cheesecake, one of our family’s favorite, for dessert!
May 6 – National Beverage Day
Meet your friends out for drinks (or at a local coffee shop if that’s more your vibe). Have everyone over and set up a make-your-own mocktail or lemonade bar. My homemade lemonade is a great base to make strawberry lemonade, blueberry lemonade, or even mint lemonade.
Or set up a dirty soda bar (or just make them Shirley temple floats) with your kids and let them mix their own concoctions while you talk about your day. It’s such a fun way to celebrate them after school!
May 7 – National Tourism Day
Be a tourist in your own town. Grab some friends (or your family) and check out a restaurant or activity you’ve never done before. Or head to a street with lots of shops and just wander. This is one of my favorite things to do regularly, but National Tourism Day is the perfect chance to try it!
May 8 – Reward Yourself Day
This one is all about you! Remind yourself how awesome you are and reward yourself today. Achieved a goal? You get a reward. Didn’t lose your temper with your kids – reward. Remembered to switch the laundry over, reward. You get it! You can make the rewards whatever you want, just don’t feel guilty about it!
May 9 – National Mini Golf Day
Find a mini golf course you’ve never been to before and check it out together, loser buys ice cream after. If you don’t want to leave the house, set up your own mini golf holes around your yard. Or have a mini golf movie night with Happy Gilmore, Holy Moley, or any other movie that features the sport.
May 10 – Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day doesn’t have to be all about breakfast in bed and staying at home. Meet up with your favorite women for brunch or dessert. Or have a writing party where you all write notes to the moms in your life you admire. Or if you know someone who has a hard time with Mother’s Day, do something kind to show you care.
If you want to keep it just for you, have a mini mom party for yourself where you sleep in, eat your favorite treats, do whatever you want with no schedule. And don’t forget to enjoy a few Mother’s Day gifts!
May 11 – National Technology Day
This one is fun because you can either lean into tech or completely opt out. Have a tech-themed game night where you play games on Alexa, Amazon Luna, Wordle, Netflix, or anything else. Or have an online girls night with friends that live far away. You can do a virtual scavenger hunt, ask catch-up questions, and just connect.
If you’d rather go the other way, do a digital detox date night with no phones at all. Both totally count.
May 12 – International Nurses Day
Celebrate the nurses in your life (there are more than you probably can guess)! Make treats to take to nurses at the local hospital. You could also celebrate this on May 6th for Nurses Day – I just had something else for May 6th to include!
May 13 – National Apple Pie Day
This is the perfect time to perfect your apple pie making skills! Invite friends over for a mini apple pie making session or learn how to make a flaky pie crust! Or just make some pies to give out to teachers or community leaders with these apple gift tags!
May 14 – Bond with Your dog day
It’s time for a dog park playdate with friends or walk your dogs together! Or just spend time giving your dog a good workout with the kids by tossing the frisbee, playing catch, or giving it belly rubs!
May 15 – National Pizza Party Day
Have a Friday night pizza party where you order pizza, play family card games, enjoy fruit pizza for dessert, done. Make homemade pizzas together – I highly recommend our homemade pizza dough as a base! Or meet friends at your favorite local pizza place so nobody has to clean up after.
If you want a homemade pizza night without actually rolling out dough, try our pizza twists, pepperoni pizza roll-ups, or even a little pizza loaf!
May 16 – National Classic Movie Day
Movie night, anyone? Pick a classic and just watch it. Or do something inspired by your favorite classic — backyard baseball before watching The Sandlot, gardening before watching The Secret Garden, etc. You can also see if a local theater is showing a classic and meet friends there.
May 17 – World Baking Day
Easily the sweetest “national” day. Have a baked goods swap where everyone brings their fave baked good and the recipe to share. You get baked goods to enjoy and go home with a new collection of treats and recipes. Bake something with your kids and take it to people you love. Or honestly, just bake. That’s a party in itself.
Need a recipe to start with? These are my personal favorites!
- Homemade brownies – we tested these forever, they’re perfection!
- Large batch chocolate chip cookies – these are designed for a large group of people so they’re perfect for a swap or taking to friends!
- Frosted sugar cookie bars – you get all the sugar cookie flavor without rolling!
- Chocolate raspberry cake – if you really want to go fancy, this is one of our most popular recipes!
May 18 – International Museum Day
Grab some friends and head to a local museum. Bonus points if you’ve never been there before. Or watch Night at the Museum with some friends – all of them if you can! If you can’t leave your house, you could even do some of the online museum tours that make you feel like you’re right there!
May 19 – Plant Something Day
One of my favorite spring party ideas is a potting party! Invite friends over to paint pots, plant something in them, and take home a potted plant! Or volunteer somewhere together to help with their planting or gardening. Or just plant something on your own with your own family – let everyone choose their favorites to plant!
May 20 – National Streaming Day
Binge watch a series together on a streaming service. You can either actually be together or just start it at the same time and chat through the movie! Or make it even more fun and pull up a streaming service, scroll around blindfolded, and watch whatever you land on!
Or one of my favorite things to do is put vinyl stickers on the TV (like mustaches or witch hats) and whoever’s lands in the correct place on a person first wins a prize!
May 21 – National Notebook Day
A weirdly specific day but actually so fun. Decorate notebooks together or have a junk journaling night with a friend. Go shopping together for the prettiest notebooks you can find. Or go through your old notebooks, get rid of the ones you aren’t using, and laugh about the random notes you wrote forever ago.
Or just buy yourself a pretty new notebook to celebrate on your own. My favorites are customized ones from Erin Condren or any of the Archer & Olive designs we gave out at our book retreat!
Or I have to include this because well I love the movie – have a girls night just to watch The Notebook or read scenes from the book out loud together! If I’m a bird, you’re a bird!
May 22 – National Road Trip Day
Doesn’t have to be a big production. Do a road trip close to home and try out new restaurants, parks, or shops you’ve never been to. Invite friends over to plan an epic summer road trip together. Or just go on a weekend road trip with your favorite people.
If you’ve got kids in tow, my printable road trip games and road trip scavenger hunt will keep them busy for hours.
May 23 – Lucky Penny Day
Invite people over for a penny hunt — hide pennies all over the house and have a race to find them. Do a flip-a-coin adventure where heads = go left, tails = go right, and the same flip three times in a row = go straight. It’s one of my family’s favorite things to do! Or collect all your pennies (and loose change), turn them in, and use the money to do something together.
Or invite people over for a favorite things night and use our heads or tails gift exchange game to decide who ends up with what!
May 24 – National Scavenger Hunt Day
You knew this one was going to be a good one if you’ve ever been to my site before. Do a scavenger hunt — or 10. I have like 100 different scavenger hunt ideas you can choose from including everything from a nature scavenger hunt to a Disney scavenger hunt and pretty much every theme you can think of!
May 25 – Memorial Day
Have a backyard BBQ with the works. Host an outdoor games Olympics or family field day where everyone competes in silly field day games. Or keep it simple and go on a Memorial Day picnic with a picnic charcuterie board and watermelon mint salad!
May 26 – National Paper Airplane Day
I mean is there any other way to celebrate than by making paper airplanes together? You could even go as far as making an entire paper airplane obstacle course or hosting a paper airplane Olympics. Make sure the winner gets this fun paper airplane making kit!
May 27 – National Flip Flop Day
Invite friends over to bedazzle or decorate flip flops. Go shopping together and each pick out a brand new pair of flip flops for each other. Or just go to the pool or beach, a perfect place to wear your flip flops!
May 28 – National Hamburger Day
Meet up with friends to let kids play in the play place while you enjoy some fast food hamburgers (or skip the hamburgers and just hang out). Invite friends over for a BBQ where you provide the meat and they provide the sides. You could even setup a simple hamburger bar where they can make their own!
May 29 – Have a salad swap
May is also National Salad Month so May 29th is the perfect day to have everyone bring their favorite kind of salad to share. Go home with recipes for all sorts of delicious summer salads. It could be anything from a tropical fruit salad to a tortellini salad or even a dessert salad like strawberry fluff!
May 30 – National Creativity Day
If you’ve been following along on Instagram this year, you know I’m all about creative hobbies, so this is my personal favorite day on this list!
Meet friends at a local creativity spot that offers anything from pottery painting, candle mug making, paint and sip to make something together. Have friends over for a bring-your-own craft night where everyone works on their own thing while you chat. We did this with our cozy sweatshirts last fall and it was a huge hit. Take a class together to learn cooking, crafts, pottery, or whatever sounds fun!
If you have kids, get creative and messy with them. Make slime, paint ladybug rocks, do whatever they’re into.
May 31 – National Macaroon Day
Learn how to make macaroons together. These Matterhorn macaroons are a great place to start! Or just meet up at a local place that has macaroons, tons of local bakeries make them regularly.
Which day are you most excited about celebrating? I already know I’ll be doing all sorts of things for Star Wars Day (and Mandalorian), am planning a girls night to see Devil Wears Prada, and we’ll probably make our instant pot chicken tacos for Cinco de Mayo!
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