Shine a Light on Celiac

A united celiac disease awareness campaign.

May is Celiac/Coeliac Awareness Month, May 8-14 is Coeliac Awareness Week in the UK, and May 16 is internationally recognized as Celiac Awareness Day.

Building off of past joint activities from 2020, ’21 and ’22, celiac disease organizations around the world have come together to support shining a light on the seriousness of this disease in 2023. We’re lighting up landmarks in green to raise awareness of celiac disease, gluten-free food insecurity, the need for more research and so much more!

Learn more about the organizations involved

What is celiac disease?

Celiac disease (sometimes called celiac sprue, non-tropical sprue, or gluten-sensitive enteropathy) is a serious, autoimmune condition triggered by consuming a protein called gluten, which is found in wheat, barley and rye. When a person with celiac disease eats gluten, the immune system begins to attack the villi of the intestines. Damaged villi (see photo at left) make it nearly impossible for the body to absorb nutrients, which can lead to malnourishment and a host of other issues including osteoporosis, infertility and the onset of other autoimmune diseases.

Landmarks we’re lighting up for celiac disease in 2024

Brazil

City	Landmark	Date	Courtesy of
São Paulo	Biblioteca Mario de Andrade	May 16	Movimento Celíacos do Brasil
São Paulo	Centro Cultural FIESP	May 16	Movimento Celíacos do Brasil
São Paulo	Edifício Matarazzo	May 16	Movimento Celíacos do Brasil
São Paulo	Monumento as Bandeiras	May 16	Movimento Celíacos do Brasil
São Paulo	Pateo do Colegio	May 16	Movimento Celíacos do Brasil
São Paulo	Ponte Estaiada Otávio Frias de Oliveira	May 16	Movimento Celíacos do Brasil
São Paulo	Viaduto do Chá	May 16	Movimento Celíacos do Brasil

Canada

City	Landmark	Date	Courtesy of
Fort Erie, ON	Peace Bridge	May 16	Beyond Celiac
Laval, QC	Faire la vague : Oeuvre d’art installée devant la Place Bell	May 16	Coeliaque Québec
Montréal, QC	Stade Olympique	May 16	Coeliaque Québec
Québec, QC	Complexe Jules-Dallaire	May 16	Coeliaque Québec
Toronto, ON	CN Tower	May 16	Celiac Canada

Georgia

City	Landmark	Date	Courtesy of
Tbilisi	Tbilisi TV tower	May 16	Georgian National Celiac Association
Batumi	Batumi Stadium	May 16	Georgian National Celiac Association

México

City	Landmark	Date	Courtesy of
Ciudad de México	Palacio de Bellas Artes	May 16	Asistencia al Celiaco de México

United States

City	Landmark	Date	Courtesy of
Davenport, IA	Skybridge	May 13–19	National Celiac Association
Atlanta, GA	NCR	May 16	Celiac Disease Foundation
Atlanta, GA	One Atlantic Center	May 16	Celiac Disease Foundation
Atlanta, GA	Terminus	May 16	Celiac Disease Foundation
Boston, MA	Boston Children’s Hospital	May 16	Celiac Disease Foundation
Minneapolis, MN	I35 Bridge	Evening of May 15 to morning of May 16	Beyond Celiac
Omaha, NE	Davis Global Center, UNMC	May 16	National Celiac Association
Buffalo, NY	Peace Bridge	May 16	Beyond Celiac
Nashville, TN	Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge	May 16	National Celiac Association, local TN chapter
Houston, TX	Montrose Bridge	May 16	National Celiac Association

Other landmarks we’ve previously lit up: Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer statue), Niagara Falls, CN Tower, Olympic Stadium (Montreal), Calgary Tower, Rawche rock at Ramly el Baydu (Beirut) and many more.