Plan your cat year
Cat Festival Calendar
The major cat festivals and cat days, month by month. Dates for some festivals change each year, so always confirm with the organizers before you travel.
Live countdown
Upcoming cat festivals
Every recurring festival on this site, sorted by its next date and grouped by month. Festivals without a confirmed date are listed last as “Dates TBA.”
The year at a glance
How the recurring festivals fall across a typical year.
January
- A quiet month. A good time to plan a trip to Ypres or Japan.
February
- February 22Cat Day (Neko no Hi)Japan · since 1987
March – April
- No major fixed cat festivals. Watch for local cat shows and adoption events.
May
- Second Sunday · every three yearsKattenstoetYpres, Belgium
June – July
- No major fixed cat festivals. Watch for local cat shows and adoption events.
August
- August 8International Cat DayWorldwide · since 2002
- August 2012Internet Cat Video Festival (first edition)Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
September
- September 29Maneki Neko DayJapan
- Mid-September to September 29Kuru Kuru Maneki Neko MatsuriIse, Mie, Japan
- A late-September weekendSeto Maneki Neko FestivalSeto, Aichi, Japan
October
- Third Saturday · every OctoberNottatown Cat Worship FestivalNottatown, North Carolina · since 1855
- A Sunday in mid-OctoberKagurazaka Bakeneko FestivalTokyo, Japan
- Dates set each yearCatConPasadena, California · October 10–11 in 2026
- October 29National Cat DayUnited States · since 2005
November – December
- The festival season winds down. Time to curl up by the fire, like any sensible cat.
Ancient calendar
- Date uncertainFestival of BastetBubastis, ancient Egypt · described by Herodotus
Festival dates are listed as generally observed. Organizers may change dates, skip years, or move events, so please confirm before traveling.