World Lemur Day2026 · Date · History
Lemur Conservation Network verifies the last-Friday-in-October World Lemur Day rule and 30 October 2026. Its history traces the linked World Lemur Festival to a 2014 Antananarivo event organized by Professor Jonah Ratsimbazafy of GERP Madagascar, with worldwide participation from 2015.
About World Lemur Day
World Lemur Day is observed on the last Friday of October as part of the wider World Lemur Festival season. The Lemur Conservation Network coordinates and promotes participation around the world.
The linked festival began in Madagascar in 2014; current organizer material gives October 30 for World Lemur Day in 2026.
Why World Lemur Day matters
The observance focuses on lemurs, Madagascar and conservation education.
Responsible participation should support lawful conservation and animal welfare; lemurs should not be promoted as pets, props or close-contact photo opportunities.
History of World Lemur Day
The first World Lemur Festival was held in Antananarivo, Madagascar, in 2014 and was organized by Professor Jonah Ratsimbazafy of GERP Madagascar.
Lemur Conservation Network says zoos, organizations and individuals around the world joined the annual World Lemur Day and World Lemur Festival celebration from 2015.
World Lemur Day is now set on the last Friday of October; it fell on October 30 in 2026 and falls on October 29 in 2027.
How the observance developed
This timeline uses documented milestones from reviewed sources. Missing stages are left out rather than guessed.
World Lemur Festival
The festival became the wider annual celebration surrounding World Lemur Day, with worldwide participation from 2015.
Zoos, organizations and individuals outside Madagascar joined the annual celebration, expanding participation globally.
World Lemur Festival participants / Lemur Conservation Network · International expansion of the World Lemur Festival and World Lemur Day participation
Lemur Conservation Network (global coordination/promotion), with GERP leadership in Madagascar
LCN states that it helps coordinate and promote World Lemur Day and the World Lemur Festival worldwide; its World Lemur Day pages provide current resources and dates.
What the evidence establishes
Confirmed institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Details that could not be established from the reviewed sources are listed separately below.
7 fields not established in reviewed sources
Predecessor and precursor observances
Earlier or merged observances are kept separate from former names and later institutional actions.
Later institutional actions
Later recognition, renaming, mergers or date changes are kept separate from original establishment.
How to Observe World Lemur Day
Learn about lemur species and conservation projects from reputable Madagascar-focused organizations.
Support conservation groups that work with Malagasy communities and local conservation leadership.
Avoid sharing content that normalizes pet lemurs, unsafe close contact or wildlife exploitation.
Visit an accredited zoo or conservation education event and follow animal-welfare rules.
Use the current Lemur Conservation Network event calendar for target-year participation ideas.
World Lemur Day Facts
World Lemur Day is the last Friday of October.
The linked World Lemur Festival began in Antananarivo in 2014.
Professor Jonah Ratsimbazafy of GERP Madagascar organized the first festival.
World Lemur Day 2026 fell on October 30.
The 2027 date is October 29 under the last-Friday rule.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Evidence & sources
Sources used across the guide are gathered here. Labels show how each source supports the page, and contextual references are kept separate from primary evidence.
Lemur Conservation Network — History (opens in a new tab)
Organizer History
Lemur Conservation Network — World Lemur Day 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Organizer Current Edition
Lemur Conservation Network — World Lemur Day FAQ (opens in a new tab)
Organizer History
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then compare closely related observances and explore useful connections.
Frequently asked questions
When is World Lemur Day?
Last Friday of October The documented recurrence rule is: Last Friday of October.
Does World Lemur Day fall on the same date every year?
It follows a recurring calendar rule, so the Gregorian date can change from year to year.
Is World Lemur Day an official public holiday?
The reviewed sources verify it within this scope: Global lemur and Madagascar conservation observance coordinated by the Lemur Conservation Network with roots in Madagascar’s World Lemur Festival. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when reliable evidence explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes World Lemur Day?
The documented basis is: Lemur Conservation Network verifies the last-Friday-in-October World Lemur Day rule and 30 October 2026. Its history traces the linked World Lemur Festival to a 2014 Antananarivo event organized by Professor Jonah Ratsimbazafy of GERP Madagascar, with worldwide participation from 2015.. Supporting evidence includes Lemur Conservation Network — World Lemur Day 2026. The site does not infer a separate creator or founder unless reviewed evidence establishes one.
Is World Lemur Day international or country-specific?
The documented scope is international or global: Global lemur and Madagascar conservation observance coordinated by the Lemur Conservation Network with roots in Madagascar’s World Lemur Festival. That does not mean every country treats the date as a public holiday or observes it in the same way.
How is this page verified?
The factual information is checked against reviewed sources, including the date pattern, scope and institutional history. This page was checked on 2026-10-06.
When is World Lemur Day?
It is celebrated on the last Friday of October.
When is World Lemur Day in 2027?
The last Friday of October is October 29 in 2027.
When did the World Lemur Festival begin?
Lemur Conservation Network says the first festival was held in Antananarivo in 2014.
Who organized the first festival?
Professor Jonah Ratsimbazafy of GERP Madagascar organized the first World Lemur Festival.
Is World Lemur Day a reason to keep lemurs as pets?
No. Conservation messaging should support animal welfare and avoid normalizing pet lemurs or exploitative wildlife contact.
Other observances on October 29
These observances are also listed on October 29, 2027.
ARPANET first-message anniversary
DARPA and UCLA document the first host-to-host ARPANET message on October 29, 1969. “National Internet Day” is retained only as a search/legacy alias for this historical anniversary, not as…
International Day of Care and Support
A/RES/77/317
National Breadstick Day
Calendar and institutional event material use the last Friday in October for National Breadstick Day.
National Cat Day
Founder Colleen Paige’s current holiday list places National Cat Day on October 29; U.S. public institutions also recognize the date in programming and resolutions.
National Indigenous Peoples Thanksgiving Day
Philippine Proclamation No. 486, s. 2003 declares October 29, 2003 and every year thereafter as National Indigenous Peoples Thanksgiving Day; the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples i…
Nevada Day
Nevada Revised Statutes / State of Nevada holiday guidance