Finding new “bits” to use on your station in order to keep your audience engaged can be a struggle. Radio is still a form of entertainment, after all. And in order to grow and keep listeners, you need to be, well…entertaining.
Fortunately, there’s several different ways you can bring the fun factor. One of those ways is by celebrating monthly holidays. The weeks-long observances listed below are cool to commemorate both on and off the airwaves. If mentioning them on your station, it’s possible to create games, prizes, talk segments, charity work, and other activities around their theme.
Looking to spice up your station this month? Consider celebrating one or more of the 12 holidays listed below! We’ve also included some ideas on how to honor the observances on your radio station.
January – Veganuary
Veganuary started in the UK, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate it anywhere else! Veganuary is an annual challenge in January started by a nonprofit organization that promotes and educates about veganism by encouraging people to follow a vegan lifestyle for the month. Since the event began in 2014, participation has increased each year. In fact, 400,000 people signed up to the 2020 campaign!
Besides challenging your radio station audience – and yourself – to follow a vegan lifestyle for the month, there are other ways you can celebrate Veganuary on your station. Have listeners call in with their best vegan recipes, then share them on your website! Encourage donations to charities that protect wildlife. Highlight the work of vegan businesses in your local area, or sponsor vegan outreach activities. If you want to take things off the airwaves, you could even host a vegan lunch event for your local community!
February – Black History Month
Celebrated in countries such as the United States, Canada, the UK, and Ireland, Black History Month may be one of the biggest monthly observances in the world. In February, we focus our attention on the contributions Black people have made throughout history. When you have a radio station, you can celebrate by playing music by Black artists, promoting Black-owned businesses, interviewing Black leaders in your community, donating your profits to Black-led charities, or just by talking about your favorite movies, TV shows, or podcasts that center around the Black experience.
We’ve already touched quite extensively on how to celebrate Black History Month…both on and off your station! Check out the two articles below to get more ideas on how you can honor this historic observance.
- 15 Artists You Should Listen to During Black History Month
- Celebrate Black History Month with These 10 Podcasts
March – Women’s History Month
Similar to Black History Month, March’s Women’s History Month is a time when we honor the many contributions women have made on our world. This is a perfect time to blast girl power anthems in your rotations, talk about female-focused media, invite awesome female leaders to speak on your show, and advocate for nonprofit organizations and policies that support the empowerment of women.
We also have some previous blog posts that talk about Women’s History Month, or fit well with the theme! You’ll find some celebratory ideas below.
- Celebrate Women’s History Month with These 10 Podcasts
- 20 Feminist Anthems to Blast on International Women’s Day
April – Jazz Appreciation Month
Jazz Appreciation Month is a perfect monthly observance to celebrate as a broadcaster! If you already have a jazz-themed radio station, then this may be a busy time of year for you as you amp up the energy with new features. If your station doesn’t play a lot of jazz…April may be the time to break some out.
Jazz Appreciation Month would also be an opportune time to play games like Guess the Song or trivia with your audience; games where you can play jazz music for people to learn or ask questions about jazz artists in history. Additionally, if you have any school jazz bands, jazz groups, or jazz solo artists in your area, April would be the time to promote their work. Or even better: have them play live on your radio show!
May – Mental Health Awareness Month
We could all do more to improve our mental health. Mental Health Awareness Month means fighting stigma, providing support, educating the public, and advocating for policies that support the many people affected by mental illness.
Of course, spreading the word about taking care of your mental health is sufficient. But there are even more creative ways you raise awareness. You can invite a psychologist onto your show to talk about how people can take care of their brains. You can play songs that promote positivity and self-care. You can talk about charities that raise money for mental health causes. And in the spirit of awareness, tell your audience to learn more about the subject of mental health – whether that be through books, documentaries, TED Talks, podcasts, or anything else.
June – Pride Month
Pride Month is one of the most energetic and downright colorful times of the year! It’s a big party month all focused around the freedom of love and expression, so that means it’s time to go BIG on your station! Focus on beefing up your station playlists with happy, dance-y tunes about love, being yourself, and LGBTQ+ themes. Music is an important part of Pride Month, so you want to make sure people are tuning in to YOUR station when they’re throwing their Pride parties.
Need even more Pride Month inspiration? See our other Pride Month articles below for more ideas on how to celebrate.
- 5 Ways to Celebrate Pride Month on Your Radio Station
- 10 Songs to Add to Your Pride Playlist
- 20 More Songs to Add to Your Pride Playlist
- Best Pride Songs
- The 20 Greatest LGBTQ+ Artists in Music History
July – Ice Cream Month
The sweetest monthly observance there is! In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day. How on earth can you celebrate this cool holiday on your radio station? We’ve got some ideas you can scoop up.
Probably the best thing to do is to promote ice cream shops in your area! Give them free commercial airtime, have them sponsor segments on your show, give out ice cream store coupons as game prizes, or just talk about your favorite ice cream place in your area. You could also have your listeners call in with their ice cream business recommendations, or just talk about their favorite flavor of the treat on-air between songs!
August – Back to School Month
Parents and kids would appreciate being able to save some extra bucks on school supplies. So why not give them out as radio station game prizes during August’s Back to School Month? Even more, you could start a school supply drive for your listeners to donate to. You could give the notebooks, pens, pencils, and more to disadvantaged kids who may need them once school is back in session.
Even more, you could use Back to School Month to highlight teachers who are making a difference in their community. Education is one of the greatest gifts we have, so show off how important it is in August.
September – Hispanic Heritage Month
If you’ve been waiting for that golden opportunity to blast your favorite salsa, Mexican, and other Latin American jams, September is the month do to it! Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. Besides playing songs like Ritchie Valens “La Bamba” and Selena y Los Dinos’ “Como La Flor” (The Library of Congress has a great list of some songs to play), we have some other ideas on how to celebrate.
One thing you can do is highlight pieces of Latinx media you enjoy! They can include movies and shows, podcasts (such as Latino USA), and books. Spread the word about great Latinx businesses and events coming up in the month. Bring on some Latinx influencers and advocates to talk on your show! They could even educate your listeners about the history of the monthly holiday. And of course, make sure to raise awareness about issues within the Latinx community, and raise some funds to donate to Hispanic nonprofits and community organizations.
October – National Arts & Humanities Month
A perfect holiday to celebrate on a radio station! After all, you could say being a broadcaster is a career within the arts. This is a month to talk about all your favorite local artists. You could promote theatre shows and craft fairs going on near you. With this month, the celebratory possibilities are truly endless.
Perhaps the most beneficial way to honor National Arts & Humanities Month is by raising awareness about the struggles those working in the arts may go through. We recommend having your listeners donate or raising your own money to be donated to The National Endowment for the Arts. The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that funds, promotes, and strengthens the creative capacity of American communities by providing opportunities for arts participation – such as hefty grants.
November – Movember
Movember is an annual event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men’s health issues: such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men’s suicide. If you are able to grow a mustache, this is the month to do so! Your listeners will be very entertained by your quest to grow out your facial hair. Take pictures of your progress and post them, talk to your audience about the journey, challenge others to do so (share your listeners’ progress!), and once December hits, post a picture of your clean-shaven face.
And if you can’t grow a moustache (or just don’t want to), there are plenty of other ways you can celebrate through radio. Besides encouraging your audience members to participate in Movember, you can raise awareness for men’s suicide prevention and raise money to donate to the Movember fund.
December – National Cat Lovers’ Month
December may be when the holidays swing around, but it’s also a purrfect time to celebrate feline friends! There are plenty of great ways to celebrate National Cat Lovers’ Month on your station. Of course, you can celebrate the cats you and your listeners already have by sharing pictures of your kitties on your station’s social media page, or have people call-in to talk about their wonderful cats. You also have the opportunity to give away cat-related prizes, such as cat toys and treats, through games.
But perhaps the best way to celebrate Cat Lovers’ Month is to persuade your audience to partake in cat adoption (specifically rescuing cats from shelters) and raising awareness about stray and feral cats that live in the wilderness. For example: you can invite someone from a shelter to talk about the cats they have for adoption and post pictures of those cats to your website and social pages so interested listeners can easily go adopt them. You can invite someone from a cat-related volunteer group to speak about the importance of feeding wild cats, TNR, and building homemade shelters for felines during the wintertime. Cats may have more standards than dogs, but they can be just as loving and playful when treated right!
Need more holidays to celebrate or tips on how to celebrate through a radio station? Check out more of our articles below!
- 20 Niche Holidays to Celebrate on Your Radio Station
- Top 15 Most Celebrated Holidays Around the World
- Using Holidays to Your Advantage as a Radio Broadcaster
We hope you have fun celebrating all of these holidays on your station. Happy broadcasting!
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Article Image: Woman holds up a monthly calendar. (NewAfrica via DepositPhotos.)
