Sunshine Week runs March 14–20, 2027, when journalists, librarians and civic groups celebrate the public’s right to see what government is doing.
Mid-March, Around Madison’s Birthday
Every year in mid-March. It always includes March 16, the birthday of James Madison, and in 2026 it ran March 15 to 21.
Florida news leaders started it as Sunshine Sunday in 2002, and it went national in 2005. Since 2023, the University of Florida’s Brechner Freedom of Information Project has coordinated it.
Madison’s birthday itself is also known as Freedom of Information Day.
Since 2025, a conference has anchored it. The second Sunshine Fest, held March 15 to 17, 2026, in Washington, D.C., sold out with 233 attendees. The first one, in 2025, drew about 160.
From Florida to the Nation
Secrecy fights sparked it. In March 2002, Florida editors launched Sunshine Sunday to push back on proposed limits to public records.
“Suddenly, we’re seeing government secrecy at an all-time high,” Tim Franklin, one of the organizers, recalled of the years after the terrorist attacks.
Help came from the Florida First Amendment Foundation early on.
Knight Foundation leaders offered to help take the idea national, and the first nationwide Sunshine Week followed in 2005.
Leadership has shifted since. The News Leaders Association ran it until the group dissolved, and the Brechner project took over in 2023.
One famous quote comes with a disputed meaning. Madison’s line about “a popular Government, without popular information” is often cited, but Brechner research found it was about public schooling, not open records.
Why Madison and Why Records
His résumé fits the theme. He helped drive the 1787 Constitutional Convention, presented the first draft of the Bill of Rights and became the fourth president.
Ronald Reagan put it plainly in 1986, in a proclamation marking FOIA’s 20th anniversary. Madison, he said, “understood the value of information in a democratic society.”
FOIA arrived in 1966. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act on July 4 that year, and it has been in force since 1967.
That 2026 Sunshine Fest marked the law’s 60th anniversary. Ideas voted best by attendees included teaching sixth graders about public records and creating FOI small claims courts.
Organizers expect the 2027 conference to fall during Sunshine Week, March 14 to 20.
Anyone can use FOIA to request records from any federal agency, subject to nine exemptions for things like privacy and national security.
Each state has its own open records law too. The week’s partners, now more than 100 groups, educate both the public and lawmakers about them. They keep at it all year, not just in March.
Justice Louis Brandeis supplied the campaign’s guiding image: “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.”
How to Use Your Right to Know
- File a records request with a city, county or federal agency about something you care about.
- Look up your state’s open records law and its response deadlines.
- Attend a public meeting of your local school board or city council.
- Read a news story built on public records, and note which records made it possible.
- Browse FOIA.gov to learn how federal requests work.
- Thank a local reporter or librarian who helps people find public information.
- Check whether your area hosts a Sunshine Fest event or panel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sunshine Week an official holiday?
Not a holiday. A university project coordinates it with news and civic partners.
Who started the original Sunshine Sunday?
Florida newspaper editors, through their state society.
Does FOIA cover Congress or state agencies?
No. It applies to federal agencies only, and states set their own rules.