Every January, you’re likely to hear someone announce that the third Monday of the month is Blue Monday: “officially” the “saddest day of the year”.
Being told how to feel never sat right with us.
Turns out, that’s because the “science” behind Blue Monday isn’t really science at all. Blue Monday was originally created as a marketing campaign by a travel company to sell winter holiday deals. More than 20 years later, the myth still lives on, but we think it’s had its time.
At Leeds Mind, we know that mental health doesn’t care about what day or month it is. Struggles aren’t dictated by a date on the calendar. Anyone can find things tough at any time of year, and for all sorts of reasons.
Multicoloured Monday is back again in 2026 as the answer to bad marketing and mental health myths, turning Blue Monday into something more colourful.
Come see us in Trinity Leeds
From 12pm–3pm, our team will be in Trinity Shopping Centre, spreading colour, cheer and plenty of real talk about mental wellbeing.
We’ll be hanging out next to the Leeds Piano Trail, with live music to add a sound track to your lunch break. Pop by for a chat, take part in some colourful activities, or just come say hello.
As Marie-Louise, our Corporate and Events Fundraiser, puts it:
“Mental health challenges can strike at any time of year. We want mental health to be a regular topic of conversation, not just something we talk about on certain days. Multicoloured Monday is about starting those meaningful conversations.”
How you can get involved
Whether you’re at home, at school or in the office, there are plenty of ways to join us:
- Wear something colourful (the brighter, the better!) and donate £2 to Leeds Mind
- Start a conversation with a friend, family member or colleague about mental health
- Share your colourful outfits or messages online, using the hashtags #MCM and #MultiColouredMonday
- Fundraise in any creative, colourful way you fancy to support our work
Every penny raised helps us continue providing mental health support across Leeds and West Yorkshire. This includes counselling, suicide bereavement support, young people’s services, and money and wellbeing support.
Let’s make every day a little more colourful
We’d love you to join us this Multicoloured Monday. Together, we can swap the Blue Monday myth for something far more honest, helpful and hopeful.
