Every dress-up day of 2026/27, with the dates
The 2026/27 dates for the charity and dress-up days schools take part in, what each usually involves, how much they cost, and the ones the school will move. Put them in now and stop being the parent who forgot.
By The AskBobbie team · 29 September 20263 min read
The dates below are the official ones for 2026/27. Schools move some of them, so the newsletter wins, but this is the list to put in the calendar now, with a reminder the day before each.
| Day | Official date | What it usually involves | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvest festival | School's choice, late Sept to mid Oct | A tin or packet for the food bank; sometimes "wear something autumnal" | A tin |
| Halloween | 31 October 2026, half term for most | Some PTAs run a disco in the week after; few schools dress up | £3 to £5 for a disco |
| Anti-Bullying Week, Odd Socks Day | 16 to 20 November 2026 (Odd Socks Day Monday 16) | Odd socks. That is all. | Nothing |
| BBC Children in Need | Friday 13 November 2026 | Spotty or Pudsey non-uniform, £1 | £1 |
| Christmas Jumper Day | Thursday 10 December 2026 official; many schools use the last week of term | A Christmas jumper, £1 for Save the Children | £1, plus a jumper |
| Nativity and Christmas concerts | Second and third weeks of December | A costume by the dress rehearsal, usually a week before | Tea towel and a dressing gown |
| Christmas dinner and party days | Last week of term | Party clothes; a plate of food for the class | A packet of biscuits |
| Safer Internet Day | Tuesday 9 February 2027 | Nothing to wear; an assembly | Nothing |
| World Book Day | Thursday 4 March 2027 | A character costume, or pyjamas; the £1 book token | Nothing if you are clever |
| Red Nose Day | March 2027, date to be confirmed by Comic Relief | Non-uniform, red noses | £1 or £2 |
| Easter bonnet parade | Last week of spring term, infants | A decorated hat | A hat and some card |
| Sports day | June or early July, school's choice | Sun cream, hat, bottle, team colour T-shirt in some schools | A T-shirt |
| Transition day | Late June or July | Year 6 visit secondary; whole school moves up a class for a day | Nothing |
| End of year | Last week of July | Leavers' assembly, a gift for the teacher if you do that | Optional |
The ones that catch people out
Christmas Jumper Day. Save the Children's date is 10 December, but the majority of schools hold it on the last day of term or the day of the Christmas dinner. Two dates in the calendar, one from the charity and one from the newsletter, and the newsletter's is the one to trust.
World Book Day. The costume brief varies wildly: "come as a character", "wear pyjamas and bring a book", "dress as a word". It arrives in the newsletter about ten days before. The £1 token is handed out at school and works in any bookshop until the end of March.
The nativity. The costume is needed for the dress rehearsal, which is a week or more before the performance, and the letter usually only mentions the performance date. Ask.
Odd Socks Day is the cheapest day of the year and the most forgotten, because it is a Monday.
Never forgetting again
Put every row above in the calendar today, with the newsletter's version replacing the official one as they come. Then get a reminder the evening before: Bobbie's round-up says "tomorrow: Children in Need, spotty clothes, £1" the night before, which is the whole problem solved. A note on the fridge on Sunday works too.
Further reading
Sources: BBC Children in Need; Save the Children Christmas Jumper Day; World Book Day 2027; Comic Relief FAQ; Anti-Bullying Alliance; UK Safer Internet Centre. Official dates as published in September 2026.
Questions people ask
- What is the World Book Day costume rule?
- There is none, officially; World Book Day itself says a favourite book or a pyjama day is fine. Schools often say 'come as a character'. Ten minutes and a cardigan makes Where's Wally, a Gruffalo, or any Roald Dahl child. Buy nothing.
- Do I have to give money on charity days?
- No. The suggested donation is usually £1 and it is voluntary. Nobody checks, and the school will say so in the letter.
- Why does the school's date differ from the official one?
- Schools move charity days to fit their week: Christmas Jumper Day to the last day of term, Red Nose Day to a Friday assembly. The official date is a guide; the newsletter is the truth.