When is Mother's Day?

It’s an occasion many of us celebrate each year, honouring the role our mums play in our lives, but just when is Mother’s Day? Somewhen around March time, isn’t it? Or is Mother’s Day celebrated in May? It’s easy to lose track.

The date for Mother’s Day changes every year. In the UK the date is tied to the festival of Easter, usually in March, and in the USA and many other countries it’s celebrated in May. To help you get your dates in order and make sure you’re ready to give your mum the day she deserves, in this blog post we’ll be sharing when Mother’s Day is this year, rules to remember Mother’s Day dates, plus a full guide of upcoming dates for Mother’s Day in 2024, 2025 and 2026 in countries around the world.

When is Mother’s Day 2024?

In the UK, Mother’s Day 2024 will be celebrated on Sunday 10th March.

Mother’s Day will also be celebrated on 10th March 2024 in Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. However, in the USA and around 100 other countries, Mother’s Day will be celebrated on Sunday 12th May 2024.

Mother’s Day falls on other dates in different countries around the world. For a full guide on global dates for Mothers’ Day 2024, 2025 and 2026 see the table at the bottom of this article.

Is Mother’s Day Always in March?

Here in the UK, Mother’s Day is almost always in March. The origin of Mother's Day, or Mothering Sunday, in the UK is rooted in Christianity and is tied to the religious festivals of Lent and Easter. Mother’s Day falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent, which is exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday.

As the dates of Easter are tied to the lunar calendar, the exact date of Mother’s Day fluctuates each year. It is almost always in March, however there are some occasions where UK Mother’s Day is celebrated at the very beginning of April, due to the changing dates of the Easter holiday. The last time Mother’s Day was celebrated in April was back in 2011, when Mother’s Day was celebrated on Sunday 3rd April, and it is not due to be celebrated in April again until 2038, where it will be held on Sunday 4th April.

For the most part though, Mother’s Day in the UK is held in March.

By contrast, Mother’s Day in the USA is always celebrated on the second Sunday in May. You can read more about the difference between US Mother’s Day and UK Mothering Sunday in this blog post.

Is Mother’s Day always a Sunday?

In the UK and the USA, Mother’s Day is always celebrated on a Sunday. In fact here in the UK, the celebration is traditionally called Mothering Sunday and over in the USA it is always on May’s second Sunday.

However, there are some other countries around the world that hold their Mother’s Day celebrations on different days of the week. For example, in a number of Eastern European and West Asian countries Mother’s Day is recognised annually on March 8th, on the same day as International Women’s Day. As this is a fixed date it could fall on any day of the week, not necessarily a Sunday.

Mother’s Day in the UK is always a Sunday, but this is not the case all around the world.

Mother's Day in 2024, 2025 and 2026

Find out when Mother's Day will be celebrated in 2024, 2025 and 2026, and use the helpful search bar to narrow down your results.