August Holidays 2027: A Family Calendar of Holidays, Observances and Fun Days (With Kid Activities)

The main August holidays in 2027 are World Breastfeeding Week (Aug. 1 to 7), National Night Out (Aug. 3), Tisha B’Av (Aug. 11 to 12), the Perseid meteor shower peak (around Aug. 12 to 13), Raksha Bandhan (Aug. 17), Janmashtami (Aug. 25) and Women’s Equality Day (Aug. 26), and there is no federal holiday this month.

Looking for August holidays to plan around? August 2027 has no federal day off, but it still packs in block parties, a famous meteor shower, religious and cultural festivals, a day honoring the 19th Amendment and, for many kids, the first day of school.

We checked every 2027 date against official sources in November 2026 and calculated each day of the week, so you can plan summer nights, end-of-summer trips and back-to-school prep with confidence. Below: a day by day calendar, kid activities, meteor tips, sleep advice and a printable summary.

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August Holidays 2027 at a Glance

Dates checked in November 2026 against the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Hebcal, the Government of India’s 2027 holiday list, NASA, the National Association of Town Watch, the Library of Congress and the World Health Organization. Weekdays were calculated, not copied. Moon-based dates can shift by a day.

August 2027 starts on a Sunday and ends on Tuesday, August 31. For many families it mixes the last summer evenings with back-to-school prep.

August 2027 Holiday Calendar, Day by Day

Use this table as your family calendar. None of these days is a federal holiday, so expect regular work days unless your employer or community says otherwise.

A note on “national days”: most of the fun days on online August lists are unofficial, and very few were ever proclaimed by Congress or the President. You will also see “National Friendship Day” on the first Sunday of August (August 1 in 2027) on many calendars. We could not trace it to an official organizer or proclamation, so treat it as an informal tradition rather than an official observance.

Is There a Federal Holiday in August? (No, and Here Is Why That Matters)

August is one of the few months with no federal holiday at all. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 2027 schedule jumps from Independence Day (observed on Monday, July 5, 2027) straight to Labor Day on Monday, September 6, 2027. Nothing in between closes federal offices.

• What that means for families: banks, post offices and government offices keep normal hours all month. For a long weekend trip, take time off or wait for Labor Day weekend.
• Why August still feels like a holiday month: summer break and community events fill the month. For the long weekend that follows, see our September holidays calendar.

Religious and Cultural Holidays in August 2027

Here is what each faith and cultural date in August 2027 means, so you can explain it to curious kids or wish a neighbor well.

• Tisha B’Av, sundown Wednesday, August 11 to nightfall Thursday, August 12: Hebcal lists Tisha B’Av 2027 on these dates. It is an annual fast day marking the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem: a solemn day, not a festive one.
• India’s Independence Day, Sunday, August 15: the Government of India’s 2027 holiday list for central government offices shows Independence Day on August 15. U.S. communities often hold cultural programs on the nearest weekend.
• Milad-un-Nabi, expected on or around Sunday, August 15: the same Government of India list places Milad-un-Nabi (also called Id-e-Milad), the observance of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, on August 15, and notes that the date may change based on moon sighting. Not every Muslim community marks this day.
• Parsi New Year (Navroz), Sunday, August 15: India’s 2027 list includes Parsi New Year’s Day as a restricted (optional) holiday on August 15.
• Raksha Bandhan, Tuesday, August 17: listed as a restricted holiday on India’s 2027 calendar. Many families celebrate the bond between brothers and sisters, often by tying a decorative thread called a rakhi on a sibling’s wrist.
• Janmashtami, Wednesday, August 25: India’s 2027 list shows Janmashtami (the festival marking the birth of Krishna) on August 25. Some families and temples may celebrate on a neighboring day, so confirm locally.

August Holidays for Kids: One Simple Activity for Each

These ideas need little more than paper, yarn and a blanket. Pick one or two a week, not all of them.

Toddlers do best with one short activity. On hot afternoons, our water games for kids keep everyone cool.

The Perseid Meteor Shower: A Late-Summer Family Sky Night

For many families, the best August holiday is a warm night watching shooting stars. NASA describes the Perseids as a mid-August shower whose peak night in its most recent listing fell on August 12 to 13. The shower returns at about the same time every year, so plan around the night of Thursday, August 12, 2027, and check NASA’s Perseids page in summer 2027 for the exact forecast.

• Where the meteors come from: NASA explains that the Perseids are bits of debris from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which takes 133 years to orbit the Sun. The meteors appear to come from the direction of the constellation Perseus, which gives the shower its name.
• How fast they move: according to NASA, Perseid meteors travel at about 37 miles (59 kilometers) per second.
• How many and when: NASA’s page gives rates from about 25 up to 50 to 100 an hour under dark skies, best in the pre-dawn hours from the Northern Hemisphere, with some meteors as early as 10 p.m.

How to make it work with kids. Bring a plain blanket, bug spray and a sweatshirt. Lie on your backs, put phones away so your eyes can adjust, and look at a wide stretch of sky. Space fans can browse our names that mean star list and pick a name for their favorite meteor.

Babies and young toddlers do not need to stay up for this one. If a little one dozes off outside, carry them in to sleep on their back in their own crib or portable crib, on a firm, flat surface with no blankets or pillows.

National Night Out, Women’s Equality Day and Community Days

These August observances are about people coming together.

• National Night Out, Tuesday, August 3, 2027: the National Association of Town Watch says National Night Out is held annually on the first Tuesday in August, which in 2027 is August 3. It began in August 1984; the first year involved about 2.5 million people in 400 communities across 23 states. Neighborhoods host block parties, cookouts and visits from police and firefighters. Texas and some other areas celebrate on the first Tuesday in October instead (October 5 in 2027), so check your city’s page.
• Women’s Equality Day, Thursday, August 26, 2027: according to the Library of Congress, Women’s Equality Day marks August 26, 1920, the day Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Congress passed a joint resolution designating the day in 1973, and every president since Richard Nixon has issued a proclamation for it.
• World Breastfeeding Week, August 1 to 7: the World Health Organization says World Breastfeeding Week is held in the first week of August each year, supported by WHO, UNICEF and ministries of health. If you are nursing, our how to breastfeed guide covers the basics.

For preschoolers, “a long time ago, women were not allowed to vote, and people worked hard to change that” is plenty.

Back to School: Holidays in August That Help Kids Get Ready

For many families, the biggest date in August is the first day of school. There is no single national start date: each district sets its own calendar. Use the holidays in August as gentle stepping stones toward that day:

• Early August (World Breastfeeding Week, National Night Out): meet neighborhood families at a National Night Out event. A familiar face at drop-off helps on day one.
• Mid-August (Perseids, Raksha Bandhan): make the meteor shower your “last big summer night” before school routines start, and use bracelet-making to talk about friends old and new.
• Late August: practice the school-morning routine a few times.
• Talk about feelings: excited and nervous at the same time is normal. Walk past the school together before day one.

Mark the first morning with a photo and a few kind words. Our collections of first day of school quotes and a gentle back-to-school prayer are easy to tuck into a lunchbox note.

Keeping Sleep on Track During August Celebrations

August is hard on sleep: warm evenings, late block parties, a meteor shower best seen before dawn, end-of-summer travel and then school mornings. A few habits help:

• Plan celebrations for daytime or early evening with babies and toddlers, and keep the usual bedtime whenever you can.
• Keep the bedtime routine the same, even on holiday nights. Our toddler bedtime routine guide shows how to keep it short and predictable.
• A week or two before school starts, move bedtime and wake time earlier in small steps rather than all at once.
• On warm nights, dress your baby lightly; our guide to baby room temperature for sleep explains what to aim for. Never add loose blankets to a crib.
• Traveling? Bring a portable crib for a familiar, safe sleep space, and see our guide to baby sleep while traveling.
• After a late night, keep the next wake time close to normal so your child’s body clock resets.

August Month at a Glance (Printable Summary)

Print this page or copy this summary onto the fridge:

• All month: back-to-school season (check your district’s calendar); no federal holidays.
• Week 1 (Aug. 1 to 7): World Breastfeeding Week (Sun., Aug. 1 to Sat., Aug. 7); National Night Out (Tue., Aug. 3).
• Week 2 (Aug. 8 to 14): Tisha B’Av (sundown Wed., Aug. 11 to nightfall Thu., Aug. 12); Perseid meteor shower peak (around the night of Thu., Aug. 12 to Fri., Aug. 13).
• Week 3 (Aug. 15 to 21): India’s Independence Day, Parsi New Year and Milad-un-Nabi (expected) (Sun., Aug. 15); Raksha Bandhan (Tue., Aug. 17).
• Week 4 (Aug. 22 to 28): Janmashtami (Wed., Aug. 25); Women’s Equality Day (Thu., Aug. 26).
• Aug. 29 to 31: no major holidays: pack road trip games for Labor Day weekend.
• Next up: Labor Day, Mon., Sept. 6.

Related Betteroo Guides

• September Holidays 2027
• June Holidays 2027
• First Day of School Quotes
• Outdoor Games for Kids
• Baby Room Temperature for Sleep
• Names That Mean Star

The Bottom Line

August 2027 has no federal holiday, but it is far from empty: World Breastfeeding Week and National Night Out open the month, Tisha B’Av and the Perseid meteor shower fall in the second week, India’s Independence Day, Raksha Bandhan and Janmashtami fill the second half, and Women’s Equality Day lands on Thursday, August 26. Pick two or three days that matter to your family, keep the activities simple, and ease bedtime earlier before school begins.

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