World Creativity and Innovation Day Date in the current year: April 21, 2024

World Creativity and Innovation Day was initiated by Marci Segal from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She felt that the day before Earth Day (April 22) was perfect for celebrating creativity and innovation because the main goal of the observance is to emphasize the importance of using new thinking to create a decent life for all people on the planet.

The inaugural WCID was celebrated on April 21, 2002 in Canada, the United States, Brazil, the Netherlands, and Thailand. In the subsequent years, more countries joined the initiative, including Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Chile, Columbia, El Salvador, Egypt, France, Greece, India, Italy, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, Slovenia, the UK, and more.

In 2004, WCID was extended beyond one day in response to people wanting more time to organize more activities, becoming World Creativity and Innovation Week. It begins on April 15, Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday, which is quite symbolic because Leonardo was the embodiment of the “Renaissance Man” who demonstrated creativity in both arts and sciences.

In 2017, WCID was officially recognized by the United Nations General Assembly. All UN member states and organizations of the UN system are invited to observe it in an appropriate manner on April 21.