Your 2026 company swag calendar: A complete list of events, holidays, and moments to order merch for

With 2026 around the corner, it's the perfect time to map out your company swag calendar for the year ahead. Forward planning unlocks better pricing (no rush fees!), access to premium items that aren't sitting in a warehouse waiting to be dropshipped, and the ability to do actual customization and personalization.

This calendar is your 2026 company swag playbook. We've mapped out the events, holidays, and moments that matter, all organized by month, so you can plan ahead easily. 

January

The new year typically brings new headcount as budgets reset and roles get filled. Naturally, it’s one of the highest-impact company swag moments of the year. Research shows that effective onboarding improves retention by 82%, but what does good onboarding swag look like? 

The shift in recent years has been toward kits that feel curated rather than corporate – this might mean a premium jacket instead of a logo tee, a sleek tumbler instead of a flimsy water bottle, or a leather-bound notebook instead of a spiral-bound pad.

February

February is SKO season, with sales teams descending on hotel conference rooms and executives delivering state-of-the-union presentations.

Coordinated apparel (like matching hoodies) is great here for reinforcing the "we're in this together" energy that kickoffs are supposed to build. It also makes for better event photos, which matters more than you'd think for internal comms and LinkedIn posts later. 

March

March brings two recognition moments worth noting: Employee Appreciation Day (the first Friday of the month) and International Women's Day (March 8). 

Recognition doesn't have to be expensive to be meaningful – it could simply be a small gift with a handwritten note. The key is intentionality; recognition done poorly (like a generic item with no context or swag that feels like an afterthought) is worse than no recognition at all. 

For International Women's Day, some companies use the moment for cause-aligned company swag, such as products from women-owned vendors, items that support relevant nonprofits, or merch that celebrates women in leadership within the organization. 

April

Spring recruiting kicks into gear in April. If your company hires entry-level talent or runs internship programs, you're competing for attention at campus career fairs.

The swag you bring matters more than you might think. Gen Z has opinions on just about everything, and company swag that feels dated or wasteful can signal that you're an out-of-touch company that doesn't align with their values.

May

May marks the start of trade shows, conferences, and expos, and if you've walked a show floor recently, you've probably noticed attendees have gotten pickier. 

Different events call for different strategies, and planning for conferences can feel like a full-time job on its own. Whether you're looking for low-cost giveaways for big crowds, travel-friendly items that fit in a suitcase, or tech swag that attendees can use immediately, the key is matching your swag to the context. 

June

June is a two-for-one company swag moment: Pride Month and the arrival of summer interns.

Rainbow logos and limited-edition merch ring hollow if your company's policies, leadership, and culture don't reflect genuine support for LGBTQ+ employees. But if you're doing the work (think: inclusive benefits, ERGs with real resources, visible allyship from leadership), Pride swag can be a meaningful expression of company values. 

Meanwhile, your intern class is a pipeline for future full-time hires, so treat them accordingly. A welcome kit on day one signals that they're part of the team, even if only for a few months. Some companies create intern-specific swag, such as cohort t-shirts with the year, while others simply include interns in the same welcome kit program as full-time employees.

July

July tends to be quieter on the external events calendar, which makes it a good moment to look inward. Company anniversaries, work anniversaries, and team milestones are major recognition moments that build culture over time.

Company founding anniversaries are particularly ripe for swag and brand storytelling. Consider ordering fully custom limited-edition items, commemorative designs, or heritage-inspired merch that nods to company history. 

August

With summer winding down, kids heading back to school, and teams shifting focus toward Q4 priorities, August is a transitional month. 

If your company is planning a product launch, feature release, or major announcement for fall, this is when your internal company swag strategy should come together. Launch merch for sales teams, GTM kits for customer-facing roles, and branded items to help build excitement before the external push.

Also, start planning your Q4 gifting now. Holiday swag has the longest lead times of the year, and the best vendors book up early. If you wait until October to start thinking about end-of-year gifts, you'll be choosing from whatever's left.

September

September is yet another peak conference season, with major industry events like Dreamforce, Inbound, and SaaStr clustering in the early fall.

While the same principles from May apply – tiered giveaways, quality over quantity, items people will actually use – remember that conference swag fatigue is real. Unleash your creativity to stand out from the crowd and offer something unexpected, like interactive experiences at the booth or one-of-a-kind swag that attendees have never seen before. 

After a summer of dispersed schedules and PTO, September is also prime time for company retreats and all-hands meetings. For remote or hybrid companies, these in-person moments are rare, so make the company swag memorable.

October

October is your last comfortable window for customer and team appreciation before the holiday rush. Premium items, personalized gifts, and anything requiring customization all need to be in production now – carriers get slammed in December, artisan vendors sell out, and rush fees eat into budgets. 

November

November is a gratitude month, and the companies that lean into it authentically stand out. For client relationships, a pre-Thanksgiving gift that arrives the week before the holiday hits differently than the pile of December packages. 

For employees, November is an underutilized recognition moment as well. Most companies save everything for December, which means November appreciation feels unexpected and therefore more meaningful. 

December

December is the Super Bowl of corporate swag. It's when the most money gets spent and the most gifts get given.

That said, the data on what employees actually want is clear, and there's a notable gap between what companies give and what people hope to receive. Tech accessories have high perceived value and daily utility, while quality outerwear gets worn for years. 

Planning a company holiday party? The best gifts are the ones that feel good to hand out in person but still earn a place in someone’s daily routine long after the decorations come down. Explore our roundups of the best holiday gifts for employees, including options that are perfect for handing out at holiday parties and ideas on trend-led gift options.

List of evergreen moments for company swag 

Not every swag opportunity fits neatly into a calendar month. Some of the most impactful moments are the ones that happen unpredictably throughout the year.

• Work anniversaries: Individual tenure milestones (e.g., 1 year, 3 years, 5 years) are important moments for recognition. 
• Promotions and role changes: A new title deserves acknowledgment via a small gift or upgraded swag items. 
• Project completions and big wins: When a team ships something significant like a product launch, major deal, or successful campaign, consider marking the moment. Some companies even create “win kits.”

The best company swag strategies are planned, not reactive. If you're ready to start the year with a locked-in swag calendar, browse our full catalog for quality items or use our AI sourcing agent, Nory, to request something custom-made for any of the moments above.

Overview of 2026 swag calendar

January

• New Year onboarding and new-hire welcome kits 
• Annual planning and goal-setting meetings

February

• Sales Kickoffs (SKOs) and leadership offsites
• Black History Month recognition (all month)

March

• Employee Appreciation Day (first Friday of March)
• International Women’s Day (March 8)

April

• Campus recruiting and career fairs
• Internship offer and pre-boarding swag
• Earth Day sustainability initiatives (April 22)

May

• Spring conferences and trade shows
• Mental Health Awareness Month initiatives (all month)

June

• Pride Month recognition and programming
• Summer intern onboarding and welcome kits
• Juneteenth recognition (June 19)

July

• Team milestones and mid-year recognition
• Work anniversaries and promotions

August

• Back-to-work and back-to-school moments
• Q4 planning and early holiday gifting prep

September

• Fall conferences
• Company retreats and all-hands meetings

October

• Last call for premium, custom, or personalized holiday gifts
• Customer appreciation and partner gifting
• Halloween/seasonal culture moments (October 31)

November

• Client and employee appreciation
• Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday of November)

December

• Company holiday parties
• End-of-year employee gifting
• Year-end recognition and celebrations