European School Sport Day
European School Sport Day 2026 – STEP, PEDAL, MOVE! - ACTIVE MOBILITY IN SCHOOLS
European School Sport Day (ESSD) is a pan-European initiative promoting sport and health-enhancing physical activity, while engaging as many children, young people, schools, and organizations as possible in shared movement-based activities. Beyond physical activity, ESSD also strengthens community, togetherness, and social inclusion, each year built around a highlighted theme.
ESSD has been organised annually since 2015, always on the last Friday of September, as one of the largest events of the European Week of Sport #BeActive campaign. The initiative continues to grow every year: in 2025, more than 3.7 million students from over 40 countries took part.
Through local and flagship events, ESSD connects young people across Europe through the power of movement, helping to build active, health-conscious school communities throughout the continent.
Focus of 2026: Active Mobility in Schools
The focus theme of ESSD 2026 is active mobility — encouraging walking, cycling, and other sustainable ways of travelling as part of everyday school life.
The project aims to:
• showcase good practices related to active transport,
• encourage schools to integrate movement-based travel into daily routines,
• support the organisation of related educational programmes,
• strengthen cooperation between schools and external partners to promote long-term mobility habits.
Active transport improves students’ physical and mental wellbeing, while also benefiting the environment and the economy. Our goal is to inspire students and parents alike by showing that daily movement can be simple, natural, and a shared experience.
Join Us!
Be part of one of Europe’s largest school sport events!
Registration in Poland will open soon at: https://essd.v4sport.eu/
Follow the latest news on the ESSD website and don’t forget to subscribe to our social media channel as well!
Use the #ESSD2026 #ESSDPoland #ESSDPoland2026 #BeActive hashtags to help spread the word about ESSD and the importance of physical activity to as many schools and students as possible!
Project information
Programme: ERASMUS-SPORT-2025
Topic: ERASMUS-SPORT-2025-SNCESE – Not-for-profit European sport events
Type of action: ERASMUS-LS
Project ID: 101244058 (ESSD2026)
Duration: 1 January 2026 – 31 December 2026
Funded by: European Commission
Project partners:
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them. |