Making Your Joomla Event Welcoming for All
There's a famous story about Harald MacMillan, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963. When asked by a journalist, "What do you fear the most in politics or what could most easily derail your government's agenda?" He supposedly replied:
"Events, dear boy, events."
Indeed, events can be fraught with unseen dangers when planning. Let's explore the key considerations to make your Joomla event truly welcoming for all.
Essential Considerations for Event Planning
- Location and Accessibility
- Ease of travel for attendees from different countries
- Visa requirements and entry regulations
- Local transportation options
- Physical accessibility (Wheelchair accessible, wide doorways and aisles)
- Visual accessibility (Braille, high contrast signage)
- Auditory accessibility (Sign language interpreters, Real-time captioning for speeches/presentations)
- Cognitive accessibility (Clear, simple signage and instructions, quiet spaces for breaks)
- Cultural Considerations
- Cultural norms and customs of the host country
- Language barriers and translation needs
- Dietary restrictions and food preferences
- Timing
- Time zone differences for virtual components or communication
- National holidays
- Seasonal factors that might affect travel or activities
- Legal and Regulatory Compliance
- Event permits and licenses
- Tax implications
- Insurance requirements
- Budget and Financial Planning
- Currency exchange rates
- International payment methods
- Potential additional costs (e.g., import/export fees for equipment)
- Technology and Communication
- Internet connectivity and reliability
- Compatibility of audio/visual equipment
- Communication platforms for international attendees
- Marketing and Promotion
- Multi-lingual marketing materials
- Culturally appropriate messaging
- International media outreach
- Logistics
- International shipping for materials or equipment
- Accommodation options for various budgets
- On-site staff with language skills
- Health and Safety
- Safety of people travelling at night
- Ensuring women are not harassed or discriminated against
- Local healthcare system and emergency services
- Travel insurance for attendees and staff
- Potential health risks or required vaccinations
- Sustainability
- Environmental impact of international travel
- Local sustainability practices and regulations
How can they plan this on Christmas Day?
Religious holidays are often days with special meanings, spent together with family or community. Days that matter to people. When you organise an event on a religious holiday, you may be forcing them to choose one important event over another.
If your religion is ignored, you may feel rejected, attacked and discriminated because someone has planned an event on your religious holiday/holy day.
While you'd feel included if you knew the organisers thought of dates that mean something to you and didn't plan on those dates because of this.
Navigating Religious Calendars
A crucial aspect often overlooked is the timing of events in relation to religious practices and festivals. This becomes particularly tricky when you consider that while most of commerce, schools, and governments work on a solar calendar, some religions follow a lunar calendar.
Why does this matter? Event pricing is often determined by venue availability, flights, and accommodation. Organisers tend to pick times between school holidays or main holiday seasons and then rebook the same time next year. However, lunar festivals can move around the solar calendar, so what was clear one year could conflict with the next.
To address this, we need some rules to fairly avoid clashing event dates with different world religions. One suggested approach is to consider the event dates for all world religions with a membership greater than 0.1% of the global population.
World Religions Over 0.1% of Global Population
Rank | Religion | Estimated Percentage | Estimated Number of Adherents |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Christianity | 31.1% | 2.4 billion |
2 | Islam | 24.9% | 1.9 billion |
3 | Hinduism | 15.2% | 1.2 billion |
4 | Buddhism | 6.6% | 507 million |
5 | Folk Religions | 5.7% | 441 million |
6 | Sikhism | 0.3% | 26 million |
7 | Judaism | 0.2% | 14-15 million |
8 | Cao Dai | 0.1% | 4-6 million |
9 | Jainism | 0.1% | 4-5 million |
10 | Shintoism | 0.1% | 4 million |
11 | Baháʼí Faith | 0.1% | 5-7 million |
- | Unaffiliated* | 15.0% | 1.2 billion |
*Note: "Unaffiliated" includes atheists, agnostics, and people who do not identify with any particular religion. While not a religion itself, it's often included in religious demographic data for completeness.
Sources for this and following are:
- Pew Research Center, "The Global Religious Landscape" (2020 update)
- World Population Review, "World Religions by Population 2023"
- United Nations Population Division (for total world population estimates)
- Berman Jewish DataBank, "World Jewish Population, 2021"
- The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA)
- Britannica, "Religion: Year In Review 2010"
So now if we use that information and ask for all the major religious festivals that these world religions celebrate and the days of the year they fall on and then we combine the results we get the following.
Date | Day(s) | Festival | Religion | Duration |
---|---|---|---|---|
2024-01-01 | Monday | Shinto New Year | Shintoism | 1 day |
2024-02-10 | Saturday | Chinese New Year | Folk Religions | 15 days |
2024-03-11 to 2024-04-09 | Monday to Tuesday | Ramadan | Islam | 30 days |
2024-03-20 | Wednesday | Naw-Rúz (New Year) | Baháʼí Faith | 1 day |
2024-03-25 | Monday | Holi | Hinduism | 1-2 days |
2024-03-31 | Sunday | Easter | Christianity | 1 day |
2024-04-10 to 2024-04-11 | Wednesday to Thursday | Eid al-Fitr | Islam | 1-3 days |
2024-04-13 | Saturday | Vaisakhi | Sikhism | 1 day |
2024-04-21 | Sunday | Mahavir Jayanti | Jainism | 1 day |
2024-04-21 to 2024-05-02 | Sunday to Thursday | Ridván | Baháʼí Faith | 12 days |
2024-04-22 to 2024-04-30 | Monday to Tuesday | Passover | Judaism | 8 days |
2024-05-23 | Thursday | Vesak (Buddha Day) | Buddhism | 1 day |
2024-06-17 to 2024-06-18 | Monday to Tuesday | Eid al-Adha | Islam | 4 days |
2024-06-20 | Thursday | Summer Solstice | Folk Religions | 1 day |
2024-08-13 to 2024-08-15 | Tuesday to Thursday | Obon Festival | Shintoism | 3 days |
2024-09-02 to 2024-09-09 | Monday to Monday | Paryushana | Jainism | 8 days |
2024-09/10 | - | Anniversary of Cao Dai's Founding | Cao Dai | 1 day |
2024-10-02 to 2024-10-04 | Wednesday to Friday | Rosh Hashanah | Judaism | 2 days |
2024-10-11 to 2024-10-12 | Friday to Saturday | Yom Kippur | Judaism | 1 day |
2024-11-01 | Friday | Diwali | Hinduism | 5 days |
2024-11-15 | Friday | Guru Nanak Gurpurab | Sikhism | 1 day |
2024-12-08 | Sunday | Bodhi Day | Buddhism | 1 day |
2024-12-21 | Saturday | Winter Solstice | Folk Religions | 1 day |
2024-12-25 | Wednesday | Christmas | Christianity | 1 day |
2024-12-25 to 2025-01-02 | Wednesday to Thursday | Hanukkah | Judaism | 8 days |
2025-01-01 | Wednesday | Shinto New Year | Shintoism | 1 day |
2025-01-29 | Wednesday | Chinese New Year | Folk Religions | 15 days |
2025-03-01 to 2025-03-30 | Saturday to Sunday | Ramadan | Islam | 30 days |
2025-03-14 | Friday | Holi | Hinduism | 1-2 days |
2025-03-21 | Friday | Naw-Rúz (New Year) | Baháʼí Faith | 1 day |
2025-03-31 to 2025-04-01 | Monday to Tuesday | Eid al-Fitr | Islam | 1-3 days |
2025-04-09 | Wednesday | Mahavir Jayanti | Jainism | 1 day |
2025-04-12 to 2025-04-20 | Saturday to Sunday | Passover | Judaism | 8 days |
2025-04-13 | Sunday | Vaisakhi | Sikhism | 1 day |
2025-04-20 | Sunday | Easter | Christianity | 1 day |
2025-04-21 to 2025-05-02 | Monday to Friday | Ridván | Baháʼí Faith | 12 days |
2025-05-12 | Monday | Vesak (Buddha Day) | Buddhism | 1 day |
2025-06-07 to 2025-06-08 | Saturday to Sunday | Eid al-Adha | Islam | 4 days |
2025-06-21 | Saturday | Summer Solstice | Folk Religions | 1 day |
2025-08-13 to 2025-08-15 | Wednesday to Friday | Obon Festival | Shintoism | 3 days |
2025-08-22 to 2025-08-29 | Friday to Friday | Paryushana | Jainism | 8 days |
2025-09/10 | - | Anniversary of Cao Dai's Founding | Cao Dai | 1 day |
2025-09-22 to 2025-09-24 | Monday to Wednesday | Rosh Hashanah | Judaism | 2 days |
2025-10-01 to 2025-10-02 | Wednesday to Thursday | Yom Kippur | Judaism | 1 day |
2025-10-21 | Tuesday | Diwali | Hinduism | 5 days |
2025-11-04 | Tuesday | Guru Nanak Gurpurab | Sikhism | 1 day |
2025-12-08 | Monday | Bodhi Day | Buddhism | 1 day |
2025-12-14 to 2025-12-22 | Sunday to Monday | Hanukkah | Judaism | 8 days |
2025-12-21 | Sunday | Winter Solstice | Folk Religions | 1 day |
2026-01-01 | Thursday | Shinto New Year | Shintoism | 1 day |
2026-02-17 | Tuesday | Chinese New Year | Folk Religions | 15 days |
2026-02-18 to 2026-03-19 | Wednesday to Thursday | Ramadan | Islam | 30 days |
2026-03-04 | Wednesday | Holi | Hinduism | 1-2 days |
2026-03-20 to 2026-03-21 | Friday to Saturday | Eid al-Fitr | Islam | 1-3 days |
2026-03-21 | Saturday | Naw-Rúz (New Year) | Baháʼí Faith | 1 day |
2026-03-30 | Monday | Mahavir Jayanti | Jainism | 1 day |
2026-04-01 to 2026-04-09 | Wednesday to Thursday | Passover | Judaism | 8 days |
2026-04-05 | Sunday | Easter | Christianity | 1 day |
2026-04-13 | Monday | Vaisakhi | Sikhism | 1 day |
2026-04-21 to 2026-05-02 | Tuesday to Saturday | Ridván | Baháʼí Faith | 12 days |
2026-05-27 to 2026-05-28 | Wednesday to Thursday | Eid al-Adha | Islam | 4 days |
2026-05-31 | Sunday | Vesak (Buddha Day) | Buddhism | 1 day |
2026-06-20 | Saturday | Summer Solstice | Folk Religions | 1 day |
2026-08-11 to 2026-08-18 | Tuesday to Tuesday | Paryushana | Jainism | 8 days |
2026-08-13 to 2026-08-15 | Thursday to Saturday | Obon Festival | Shintoism | 3 days |
2026-09/10 | - | Anniversary of Cao Dai's Founding | Cao Dai | 1 day |
2026-09-11 to 2026-09-13 | Friday to Sunday | Rosh Hashanah | Judaism | 2 days |
2026-09-20 to 2026-09-21 | Sunday to Monday | Yom Kippur | Judaism | 1 day |
2026-11-09 | Monday | Diwali | Hinduism | 5 days |
2026-11-23 | Monday | Guru Nanak Gurpurab | Sikhism | 1 day |
2026-12-04 to 2026-12-12 | Friday to Saturday | Hanukkah | Judaism | 8 days |
2026-12-21 | Monday | Winter Solstice | Folk Religions | 1 day |
2026-12-25 | Friday | Christmas | Christianity | 1 day |
Next steps, help keep it up to date
Armed with this information, event organizers and planners can now work to avoid major religious holidays, making Joomla events even more accessible to all. If you're interested in helping maintain or correct this list for future use, please get in touch at
Update it and then share with all
Religious Festivals Google Sheet
It's great to see that the next event I'm attending, Joomla Day DACH, is already avoiding any of the 11 world religions listed. So there's no excuse not to attend... Hope to see you there!
(Edited to reinstate sources and add emphasis on accessibility that may not be obvious to all following comments gratefully received)
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Comments 3
I know you will have been waiting for me to comment as I have complained many times about joomla events being organised on religious holy days. But to read you say that these days should be avoided because they are expensive times to travel really sinks to a new low.
By that token if an event clashes with a religious holiday that would prevent people of that religion attending it would be perfectly ok for you for the event to go ahead if it didn't have any financial impact on the event.
I also note that you make no mention of event accessibility. By that I mean "Is the venue wheelchair accessible etc" We wouldnt want a repeat of a JWC where many of the meeting rooms were in rooms that could not be reached by anyone using a wheelchair.
PS I cannot speak for any other religion but my own and can tell you that whatever your source was it is incorrect as it includes holidays and holy days
Thank you for your comments.
I have pondered on what you wrote and know you are passionate about accessibility, but you may not appreciate that I have lived with a wheelchair user for some years and have a constant battle with local councils and other authorities to improve accessibility.
I myself was blinded in my left eye from a squashball accident when I was 18 and although sight in that eye is much better, I do struggle in some light conditions to this day over 40 years on. So some points might seem obvious to me, but may not be obvious to others who have not lived it.
I am happy to add wheelchair accessibility under my first point which was Location and Accessibility and to me it is obvious but to others, it may not and I am grateful for the opportunity to amend it and not be the only one “harping on about it” as I seem to be in my own social group.
On the point raised which has “whatever your source was?“
I did have them in the original draft but removed as it was getting very long but now I have put them back in.
As an atheist trying to help bring religious inclusivity, I have no expertise and rely on the help of others, hence adding the spreadsheet and asking for assistance. I am not precious about the data and welcome help from those more acquainted with their religion's important events.
When it came to the point about money, I was surprised by some of what you wrote and asked a few if they read it the same way and they did not. But that could be friends being friends and not wanting to be critical.
I then thought, perhaps I can do with my article and your comments the same as I do for much of what I write, ask AI for some constructive criticism. I love the way it analyses language and has brought some impartial insight.
So I added to Claude AI (anthropic), my go-to at the moment as it seems to be the best at understanding more complex writing.
Looking at the article “Making Your Joomla Event Welcoming for All” can you explain why someone would post the following comment.
Contrast the tone of both the article and the comment.
Claude AIs response
Based on the article and the comment, it appears that Brian Teeman's response is not entirely justified and may be somewhat provocative. Let's break down the contrast between the article's tone and content and Brian's comment:
Article's tone and content:
Brian Teeman's comment:
Contrast and analysis:
In conclusion, while Brian raises some valid points (e.g., the need for more specific accessibility information and concerns about accuracy), his comment seems disproportionately harsh and confrontational given the article's overall inclusive intent and openness to collaboration.
The comment appears somewhat provocative, possibly stemming from past frustrations with Joomla events, rather than being a fully justified response to the content of this particular article.
I have to agree with Claude and hope that AI can be seen as a more impartial judge, especially by highlighting the facts and taking out some of the emotional responses.
My nan’s often heard response, “more light, less heat” is still in my ears and next month we’ll have an article about just this, the way we can misinterpret others' tone and get into arguments that are us reading others with our own inner voices and not listening to what they are actually saying.
Might be worth a revisit of that article for next month.
Please ignore everything that I wrote in the first comment. The article I commented on is NOT the same article that you can see now. A crucial paragraph (How can they plan this on Christmas Day) has been added to the article that was not present when I commented but was present when claude was used. If it had been present then my comments about only thinking about the money and not about inclusivity would not have been made. I guess it was an oversight that is was not mentioned when you made the other edits to the article.
You might consider it obvious that an event should be wheelchair accessible and it should not even need to be stated. I happen to share that view as well. Sadly from experience everyone doesnt share that view/knowledge as we have had Joomla events where at least parts of the venue where in non-wheelchair accessible locations. I am referring to accessibility in the venue and not accessibility in travelling to the venue.
The reason for querying the source of the religious dates is that the data for judaism (the only religion I can speak on) is biased towards dates that are holidays as opposed to holy days. As a quick for example the 8 days of Hannukah are not a holy day but they have become a holiday (a jewish xmas in some countries). So while in some countries travel might be more expensive at that time, there is no Diversity & Inclusion reason to avoid those dates.
You might want to spend 30 minutes listening to the excellent talk by Crystal & Sigrid - they get it https://program.foss-backstage.de/fossback23/talk/UZAEDN/