World Book Day 2026 is on Thursday 5 March 2026 in the UK and Ireland, while the official UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day falls on Thursday 23 April 2026 worldwide.

Key dates for 2026

  • UK & Ireland school-focused World Book Day: Thursday 5 March 2026.
  • UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day (global): Thursday 23 April 2026.

Both dates celebrate a love of reading , but the March date is tailored to schools in the UK and Ireland, whereas the April date is the international observance recognised by UNESCO.

In practice, many parents, schools and libraries talk about “World Book Day” in March (especially in the UK and Ireland), while international organisations highlight the April UNESCO date.

TL;DR:

  • If you are in the UK or Ireland and thinking about costumes, tokens and school events, mark 5 March 2026. ✅
  • If you are looking at the official UN/UNESCO calendar, the answer to “when is World Book Day 2026” is 23 April 2026. ✅

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.