What: Ham Radio Open House for World Amateur Radio Day 2026

Who: All amateur radio operators worldwide  

When: WARD is Friday, April 18, 2026, at 0000 UTC until Saturday, April 19, 2026 at 0000 UTC but the Ham Radio Open House can be held any time in April, as works best for your local club.  

Where: A global event covering all regions of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU)  

Why: World Amateur Radio Day, held on April 18 each year, is celebrated worldwide by radio amateurs and their national associations which are organized as member-societies of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). It was on this day in 1925 that the IARU was formed in Paris. American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Co-Founder Hiram Percy Maxim was its first president.

How:  

Get Ready for "Ham Radio Open House" for World Amateur Radio Day 2026

It’s the Year of the Club and the second annual ARRL Ham Radio Open House event in April offers a chance to show off your club’s hi-tech gear and skills to your community! ARRL is encouraging radio clubs and schools to help promote amateur radio science and technology by opening their stations to the public with an open house during the month of April. In addition, groups are encouraged to set up in public places or conduct outdoor activities, such as a Parks on the Air (POTA) activation or satellite contact. The event is built around World Amateur Radio Day on Saturday, April 18, but your open house may be scheduled at any point in the month.

Ham Radio Open House is intended to highlight the Amateur Radio Service for its development and practice of the latest radio communications and technology, and as a hands-on pathway into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields for the next generation. This is a chance to not only shape the conversation about modern ham radio but also to show how it serves as a steppingstone and testbed for many young people pursing STEM education and future high-tech careers. As ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, writes in his March QST editorial, “the notion of hams sitting in Grandpa’s basement listening to tube radios is quickly dispelled when visitors see a modern transceiver and computer being used to work the world!”

Here are just a few ways to participate in, and promote, World Amateur Radio Day:  

• Get a station on the air! Create your own personal “event” to talk about amateur radio to others, including family and friends.
• Find out more about World Amateur Radio Day by checking the IARU website and other Resources listed below.
• Create and hold a special net or on-air event on World Amateur Radio Day to raise the level of attention for the celebration, and to encourage other hams to talk about our hobby. Consider creating and offering a commemorative certificate for contacting your special activation. It can be an electronic one as these are cost effective.
• Get the word out! If you are an ARRL Public Information Coordinator, Public Information Officer, or responsible for radio club publicity, send a press release and conduct some public relations outreach to highlight the day and/or events. Talk about all of the activities radio amateurs have continued to support during the pandemic, and how amateur radio serves our communities. Find recent examples of amateur radio in-the-news at www.arrl.org/media-hits.
• Promote your personal World Amateur Radio Day activity(ies) on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook by using the hashtag #WorldAmateurRadioDay. Make sure you send it to various clubs, reflectors, and media.

Join us in celebrating World Amateur Radio Day and all the ways amateur radio brings us together!

Resources

ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio^®
www.arrl.org/world-amateur-radio-day(this page)

2026 ARRL Ham Radio Open House Publicity Kit (Coming Soon)

IARU
www.iaru.org/on-the-air/world-amateur-radio-day

IARU Region 2: The Americas
www.iaru-r2.org/en/on-the-air/world-amateur-radio-day/

Article: "World Amateur Radio is April 18," ARRL News
Article: “Why World Amateur Radio Day is key to highlight crucial service,” ITU News Magazine