How to Participate in Heat Action Day 2025
Ready to take action?
Whether you're planning something simple or ambitious, this page offers step-by-step guidance to help you participate in Heat Action Day 2026. From building your team to choosing your activities, you'll find practical tips and resources to make your Heat Action Day count.
Step-by-Step: Plan Your HAD
There's no one-size-fits-all way to take part in Heat Action Day. Below, you'll find step-by-step guidance to help you plan and carry out your Heat Action Day activities — from assembling your team to choosing the right actions for your context. You can also use the site's language drop-down menu (top left-hand corner) to view this page in other languages.
Step 1
Attend the HAD information sessions
Join an information session for inspiration and guidance on how to participate and share your thoughts.
Step 2
Build your HAD team of staff and volunteers
Gather your colleagues and volunteers to form a dynamic HAD team ready to take action.
Step 3
Connect and collaborate
Reach out to a wide variety of partners and Red Cross/Crescent National Societies and Branches to amplify your impact and plan your heat actions together.
Contact city administrations to collaborate in activities for HAD. We ask cities to light up landmarks, monuments, and bridges orange for Heat Action Day.
Step 4
Budget your HAD
Identify your own resources (e.g. volunteers, venues, materials) for your HAD activities.
Step 5
Craft your compelling key messages
Develop powerful heat messages using our guidance, tailored to and translated into your local language(s), resonating with your community. Make sure the messages are in line with the recommendations the 2026 Key Messages document [coming soon].
Step 6
Choose your heat actions
Select activities that match your team's resources, timeline, and local context. Mix and match from the tiers below:
- “Light” (no/low resources, little preparation needed)
- Get your main local monument, tower, bridge lit up orange for Heat Action Day
- Share key messages on extreme heat social media
- Showcase a previous heat event including its impacts, response, vulnerable groups on social media
- Promote the collaborative Project Book in advance of HAD, to be launched on June 2nd
- “Medium” (medium resources required, start preparing activities 3-4 weeks in advance, no to little budget required)
- Organise a first aid demonstration for heat stroke and heat exhaustion for the public
- Organize a workshop to evaluate a previous heat event to improve preparedness - internally or with partners
- Organize creative events to demonstrate how to recognize heat exhaustion and heat stroke
- Organize a public heat awareness campaign focused on heat exhaustion/heat stroke, e.g. visiting a school, door-to-door, setting up a cooling station with educational resources in main square
- Interview local experts (e.g. doctor, public health expert, etc.) on heat impacts on public health – for TV, radio, or social media
- “Advanced” (high resources required, start preparing activities 4-6 weeks in advance)
- Organize a community heat mapping exercise
- Organize a public event with music or dance, e.g. flash mob
Step 7
Register and share your HAD plans
Let us know your strategies and ideas for HAD. Together, we can make a difference! Fill out the registration form →
Step 8
Execute and share
Take action on your plans and share your activities on social media using the hashtags: #BeatTheHeat, #HeatActionDay2026, and #HAD2026.
Stay connected — Join our WhatsApp group
Want tips, inspiration, and real-time updates? Scan the QR code to join others planning Heat Action Day activities around the world and get instant access to updates, coordination, and inspiration from HAD organizers around the globe.
Questions or suggestions? Contact us at Megan.Allday4@redcross.org
Organizing Partners
