About Father’s Day
In Canada and the United States, Father’s Day is the third Sunday of June. The first celebration is generally credited to Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, who campaigned for a day to honour fathers; the first observance was held in 1910, and the United States made it an official national holiday in 1972. The day is for thanking fathers and father figures — grandfathers, stepfathers, uncles, coaches and mentors.
How the date is set
Count the Sundays in June and take the third. That puts Father’s Day between June 15 and June 21, often close to the summer solstice. Like Mother’s Day it is always a Sunday, so no one needs time off, and the countdown ends at the first moment of that Sunday on your device’s clock.
Other countries, other dates
The third Sunday of June is the date in Canada and the United States, but other countries choose differently. In Australia and New Zealand, for example, Father’s Day falls on the first Sunday of September. If you are sending a card or a gift abroad, check the local date first.
A day in early summer
Falling in mid-June, Father’s Day is often one of the first barbecue weekends of the season in Alberta, and the school year is close to ending. If a father or father figure lives in another city, a video call is a common way to mark the day. Set the countdown to their clock using the countdown to any date and a city’s time zone, and you will know exactly when the day begins for them.
Planning the day
Barbecues, golf tee times, a fishing trip or a family breakfast all need a start time. The countdown timer can time a grill, the clock keeps the schedule, and you can embed the countdown on a family or club page. Mother’s Day comes five or six weeks earlier, and Canada Day follows a week or two later.
More countdowns
Need a different date? Use the countdown to any date or count up with time since a date.
Questions
What date is Father’s Day this year?
Father’s Day is the third Sunday of June, so it is always between June 15 and June 21. The countdown above always shows the next one, so it is right for the current year without you looking anything up.
Is Father’s Day the same date in Canada and the US?
Yes. Both countries mark it on the third Sunday of June. Other countries use different dates, so check the local date before you send a card or a present overseas.
Who started Father’s Day?
The first Father’s Day is generally credited to Sonora Smart Dodd, who proposed it in Spokane, Washington, and the first observance took place in 1910. It became an official US national holiday in 1972, and Canada marks it on the same Sunday.
Why is the date different in Australia?
Each country sets its own date for Father’s Day. Australia and New Zealand observe it on the first Sunday of September, while Canada and the United States use the third Sunday of June.