International Day of Friendship Jul 30, 2025

International Day of Friendship

What do giant handshakes painted on the ground have to do with friendship? Quite a lot, actually. Celebrated every July 30, the International Day of Friendship reminds us that tackling global challenges, like poverty, violence, and injustice, starts with something surprisingly simple: human connection. That"s exactly what artist Saype had in mind with "Beyond Walls," a series of massive, biodegradable land-art murals featuring interlinked hands. Symbolizing unity and solidarity, these works have stretched across five continents. At Expo 2020 Dubai, Saype"s 11th installation covered over 16,000 square feet of grass in Al Forsan Park. It formed a striking black-and-white handshake that could only be fully appreciated from above, as seen here. The piece, made with eco-friendly paint, was unveiled on Switzerland"s National Day, supported by the Swiss Pavilion.

© VALENTIN FLAURAUD/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

palette

Today in History

Jul 30, 2018Children at play for International Day of Friendship
Jul 30, 2019A long, erratic commute
Jul 30, 2020International Day of Friendship
Jul 30, 2021Working for that cliffside view
Jul 30, 2022Milford Sound/Piopiotahi rainforest in New Zealand
Jul 30, 2023Palouse farmland, Washington state
Jul 30, 2024San Gimignano, Siena Tuscany, Italy

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Aug 10, 2018Assembling the Smithsonian
Jun 29, 2018Waiting for the perfect shot
Dec 11, 2023International Mountain Day
Dec 5, 2023Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles, Bavaria, Germany
Nov 9, 2025Carl Sagan Day
Jul 9, 2025Independence Day of the Argentine Republic
Apr 26, 2021Cheese! We ll go somewhere where there s cheese!
Oct 16, 2024National Fossil Day
May 17, 2018Celebrating Norwegian Constitution Day
Dec 10, 2024Lands End, Cornwall, England
Mar 14, 2019Rocky mountain pi
Jan 31, 2021A glittering diamond in the rough
Mar 28, 2019Let us introduce you…
Sep 19, 2018Talk like a pirate—or walk the plank
Nov 13, 2019Big-wave hunters watch Nazaré
Apr 2, 2023Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, East Java, Indonesia
May 19, 2021A path lain with petals
May 15, 2020The last thing seen by Wile E. Coyote
Aug 21, 2022International Lighthouse Weekend
Mar 27, 2023New York City skyline
Feb 24, 2025Group of giant cuttlefish, Whyalla, South Australia
Jun 19, 2024Juneteenth
May 9, 2021Happy Mother s Day!
Nov 23, 2021Fibonacci Day
Oct 18, 2020Sitka shines on Alaska Day
Feb 6, 2020A hint of spring
Mar 31, 2024Happy Easter!
May 22, 2020The scene of a literary crime
May 27, 2024Fallen but not forgotten
Jun 28, 2023Pride Month