International Coffee Day Becomes an Official U.N. Observance

Coffee lovers have a second reason to celebrate this week. Thursday, Oct. 1, is International Coffee Day, a global celebration of the drink that fuels millions of mornings, and this year's observance comes with a historic first.

In 2026, International Coffee Day became an official United Nations observance for the first time, giving the day a bigger global spotlight than ever before.

A Day With Global Roots

International Coffee Day traces back to the International Coffee Organization, an intergovernmental group founded in London in 1963 to support the global coffee industry. Before 2014, many countries held their own coffee days at different times of the year. That March, the organization's member countries agreed to create a single international date so coffee lovers everywhere could celebrate together.