About Commonwealth Day

How long until Commonwealth Day?

Commonwealth Day .

Dates of Commonwealth Day

2026 United Kingdom Monday, March 9thCommonwealth Day

2025 United Kingdom Monday, March 10thCommonwealth Day

2024 United Kingdom Monday, March 11thCommonwealth Day

2023 United Kingdom Monday, March 13thCommonwealth Day

2022 United Kingdom Monday, March 14thCommonwealth Day

Summary

Commonwealth Day is a holiday that celebrates the British Commonwealth. It is observed on the second Monday in March.

Commonwealth Day in other countries

Commonwealth Day internationally

Commonwealth Day is celebrated every year by the 56 Commonwealth member countries on the second Monday in March.

History of Commonwealth Day

At the end of the nineteenth century, when the British Empire was arguably at its peak, Empire Day was established in Canada. The holiday was held on the last school day before Queen Victoria's birthday, May 24th.

Following the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, the holiday grew in popularity across the empire. The horrors of the First World War changed how the holiday should be celebrated, with it becoming more a day of remembrance.

With the surge for independence from the empire in the late 1950s, the British prime minister Harold MacMillan announced that Empire Day would be changed to Commonwealth Day. In 1976, the date of the holiday was switched to the Second Monday in March. This date was chosen as no Commonwealth country had a public holiday on that day and almost all countries had school terms.

The day is marked by a Commonwealth Service held at Westminster Abbey in London.

Every year a specific theme is chosen for Commonwealth Day. The 2020 theme is 'Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming'.

As the Commonwealth Charter, explains "This theme was chosen because the governments and people of our diverse family of 53 Commonwealth countries connect at many levels through extensive and deep-rooted networks of friendship and goodwill.".

International Bagpipe Day

There are more than 130 different kinds of bagpipes played worldwide, and this is an international holiday to celebrate every single one of them. Be prepared!