mid-June. In Cameroon and Nigeria, schools usually finish for summer vacation in mid-July and resume in the later weeks of September or the first week of October. Public holidays A wide range of public holidays fall during summer, including: Northern Hemisphere Bank holidays in the United Kingdom and Ireland Bastille Day, National Day of France (14 July) Belgian National Day (21 July) Canada Day (1 July) Festa della Repubblica, Italian national day and republic day (2 June) Independence Day (Jordan) (25 May) Independence Day (Pakistan) (14 August) Independence Day (India) (15 August) Independence Day (United States) (4 July) Juneteenth (United States) (19 June) Memorial Day (United States) or Victoria Day (Canada) through Labor Day National Day of Sweden (6 June) and Midsummer, sometimes referred to as the "alternative National Day" Ólavsøka, Faroe Islands (29 July) Swiss National Day (1 August) Victory Day (Turkey) (30 August) Southern Hemisphere Australia Day (26 January) Christmas Day (25 December) and Boxing Day (26 December) in many countries New Year's Day (1 January) and the following day (2 January) in many countries Waitangi Day (6 February) In New Zealand Activities People generally take advantage of the high temperatures by spending more time outdoors during summer. Activities such as travelling to the beach and picnics occur during the summer months. Sports including cricket, association football (soccer), horse racing, basketball, American football, volleyball, skateboarding, baseball, softball, tennis and golf are played. Water sports also occur. These include water skiing, wakeboarding, swimming, surfing, tubing and water polo. The modern Olympics have been held during the summer months every four years since 1896. The 2000 Summer Olympics, in Sydney, were held in spring and the 2016 Summer Olympics, in Rio de Janeiro, were held in winter. In the United States, many television shows made for children are released during the summer, as children are off school. Conversely, the music and film industries generally experience higher returns during the summer than other times of the year and market their summer hits accordingly. Summer is popular for animated movies to be released theatrically in movie theaters. With many schools closed, especially in Western countries, travel and vacationing tend to peak during the summer. Teenagers and university students often take summer jobs, and business activity for the recreation, tourism, restaurant, and retail industries reach their peak. See also Summer Olympic Games Summer War References