World Barlines Day: 19 November

Classic FM has announced the first-ever ‘national listening day’. It is being held in association with the RPS’s Hear Here!, which they style 'the first classical music project dedicated to listening’.
Two bold 'firsts', the second of which, I am certain, is the most outrageous lie since Handel told Francesca Cuzzoni and Faustina Bordoni that he had two penises (Barlines Top five UK listening projects explicitly dedicated to Classical Music found after a cursory Google search: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1).
But the first 'first' is a different matter. Although national governments are the only bodies that can nominate a proper national holiday, anyone can nominate a themed day and stick the word ‘National’ or even the word ‘World’ on it, and institutions from the smallest charity up to the United Nations do just that. Normally they are either in the spirit of fun (Talk like a Pirate Day, International Day of Slayer etc) or they are organised in order to raise awareness, such as World Aids Day, National Stress Awareness day, Carers Rights Day etc. If there is fundraising involved it tends to be for an extremely good cause, such as the British Legion selling poppies prior to Remembrance Sunday.
It is unheard of that a commercial organisation will be asked to create a national day for its own gain. The RPS asking Classic FM to host a national listening day is a bit like the Royal Society of Medicine inviting Cadbury to sell mini rolls in aid of the first-ever ‘Eat Mini Rolls Day’.
If it is this easy we want in on the game. Barlines wants its own day. National Listen to Classic FM Plug Itself Day, or whatever it’s called, is on Tuesday 17 November. We can’t choose anything on the following weekend, because the Saturday is No Music Day, and the Sunday is St Cecilia’s Day. We propose something on the Thursday, with a slightly more liberal remit. How about the first-ever 'World Smelling day, on which you are allowed to play a Bit of Music'?. How about it? The first-ever classical music project dedicated to smelling! 19 November, remember the date. Tell us what you smelled! And what you listened to while you were doing it!