- Number of holidays
- 25
- Day of the year
- 136
- Days left in the year
- 229
National BBQ Day celebrates the low-and-slow cooking tradition rooted in the Caribbean word “barbacoa,” a wood-smoking technique brought to the American South by enslaved Africans who transformed it into a culinary institution. Armed Forces Day is observed on the third Saturday of May, established in 1949 after the National Security Act unified the military branches, to honor all currently serving U.S. military personnel — distinct from Veterans Day, which honors all veterans. International Day of Light was proclaimed by UNESCO in 2018 to mark May 16, 1960, when physicist Theodore Maiman fired the first operational laser — celebrating light’s role in science, culture, art, and medicine. Preakness Stakes is the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, run at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, on the third Saturday of May. Smoke, a salute, a laser, and a thundering field.
All Holidays Tomorrow
National Mimosa Day
Culture Freedom Day
Drawing Day
International Day of Light
National BBQ Day
National Biographer's Day
National Coquilles Saint Jacques Day
National Do Something Good for Your Neighbor Day
National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day
National Learn to Swim Day
National Love a Tree Day
National Piercing Day
National River Cleanup Day
National Sea Monkey Day
Nickel Day
Plant a Lemon Tree Day
Preakness Stakes
Ride a Unicycle Day
Savitri Amavasya
Waiters Day
World Fiddle Day
World Orienteering Day
World Whiskey Day
About May 16
May 16 Q&As
What is the most popular holiday on May 16?
On May 16, Armed Forces Day is the most widely observed U.S. military tribute, established in 1949 on the third Saturday of May. National BBQ Day is the most popular U.S. food observance, and International Day of Light is the most globally recognized UNESCO science observance, marking Maiman’s 1960 first laser.
What countries celebrate holidays on May 16?
May 16 observances span India (Savitri Amavasya), the UK (Waiters Day), and the U.S., which hosts National BBQ Day, Armed Forces Day, Preakness Stakes, and National Biographer’s Day. International Day of Light and World Fiddle Day are observed globally.
What food holidays are on May 16?
May 16 includes National BBQ Day, which celebrates the low-and-slow smoking tradition rooted in Caribbean “barbacoa,” National Coquilles Saint Jacques Day, which celebrates the French preparation of scallops baked in cream and breadcrumbs, and National Mimosa Day, which celebrates the champagne-and-orange-juice brunch cocktail.