International Tiara Day (May 24)
May 24th is one of the more glamorous entries on the weird holiday calendar. International Tiara Day was started in 2005 by Barbara Bellissimo and originally tied to Queen Victoria’s birthday, which gave it a historical anchor that most invented holidays don’t have.
The premise is simple. You don’t need a title or a royal bloodline to wear a tiara. You just need a tiara and a willingness to commit to the energy it brings.
When is the Holiday?
Every year on May 24th.
Who Invented It?
Barbara Bellissimo launched it in 2005, choosing the date to coincide with Queen Victoria’s birthday. It started as a niche celebration and grew through women’s groups, online communities, and influencers who responded to the idea of reclaiming something traditionally associated with royalty and status and making it available to everyone.
The History of the Holiday
Tiaras have been worn as symbols of rank and ceremony for centuries across cultures, from ancient Greece to the courts of European monarchies. The modern tiara as most people picture it, the jeweled headpiece worn at formal royal occasions, became particularly associated with British royalty through the 19th and 20th centuries.
What International Tiara Day does is deliberately separate the object from the lineage. The point isn’t to pretend to be royalty. It’s to use the tiara as a symbol of self-worth that anyone can access.
That shift from inherited status to personal celebration is the whole point of the holiday and it’s what has given it staying power beyond its original niche audience.
Top 5 Facts About the Holiday
1. The most expensive tiara ever sold at auction went for $12.1 million. The Diamond Tiara of Empress Eugénie, once owned by Napoleon III’s wife, was sold by Christie’s in 2021. At that price it’s doing considerably more work as an investment than as a hair accessory.
2. Queen Elizabeth II had over 20 tiaras in her personal collection. Some dating back to the 1800s. Her personal favorite was reportedly the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, which she received as a wedding gift and wore regularly throughout her reign.
3. The largest tiara ever made measured over 15 feet across. Created for a parade float in the Philippines, it took more than 200 hours to construct and featured thousands of rhinestones. Scale was clearly not a concern.
4. Some tiaras are made entirely from recycled materials. Eco-artists and students have made upcycled versions using bottle caps, wire, and cardboard. A sustainable approach to the holiday that also produces genuinely creative results.
5. A tiara once caused a royal scandal. Meghan Markle reportedly wanted to wear an emerald tiara for her wedding and was asked to choose a different one. The story generated significant media coverage, which says something about how much symbolic weight a piece of jeweled headwear can carry.
Coloring Page
Print the tiara coloring sheet for younger kids to use alongside the craft activities. It works well as a starter activity before making their own paper or pipe cleaner version, or as a quiet option during a themed movie night.
Activities to Celebrate
A tiara brunch is the most fitting version of this day. Sparkly tableware, good food, everyone in their best headpiece. It doesn’t need to be elaborate. The tiara does most of the work atmospherically and the bar for what counts as a tiara is deliberately low. Paper crowns made that morning count.
A tiara making station works well for kids and adults equally. Pipe cleaners, faux gems, ribbon, and hot glue give you enough to work with and the results are always more varied and interesting than expected. Setting it up before the brunch means everyone arrives with a project and leaves wearing something they made themselves.
For a classroom or group setting, princess storytime with tiaras on is a straightforward and effective activity for younger children. The combination of a good fairy tale read aloud and the physical object tends to hold attention well and makes the occasion feel distinct from a regular story session.
A royal movie night rounds out the day nicely. Classic or animated, the genre is well-stocked, and glittery cupcakes alongside it commit fully to the theme without requiring much additional effort.
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Links to Resources
Royal Family Worksheets – covers British monarchy structure, royal titles, and historical figures. A good educational tie-in for older children who want more context behind the day.
Paper Crown Template – a printable that kids can color and cut out themselves. The lowest-effort craft option and a good backup if supplies for the pipe cleaner version run short.
Princess Bingo Cards – crowns, castles, and fairy tale icons. Works well for a tiara party or as a rainy day game that fits the theme.
Princess Handprint Crafts – handprints turned into royal art. A keepsake activity for preschool and early elementary ages that takes very little setup.
DIY Tiara Craft Tutorial – step-by-step instructions using pipe cleaners, sequins, and ribbon. The right level of complexity for a kids’ party craft station.
Related Holidays
National Selfie Day (June 21) – the obvious follow-on. If you’re wearing a tiara, you’re going to want photographic evidence. This gives you an official reason.
National Dress Up Your Pet Day (Jan 14) – extends the tiara logic to the household animals. Mini crowns on cats and dogs make for reliably good photos and a very confused pet.
National Jewel Day (March 13) – the natural lead-in to today. Rhinestones, gems, and sparkle in all forms. A good one to bookmark alongside this one.
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