Benefit + Awareness Month
Blue Sunday: the Tea Party for M.E.
One of the beloved community celebrations for the ME community is ‘Blue Sunday’, also known as the ‘Tea party for M.E.’ Falling on the Sunday after May 12th International Awareness Day, the idea behind it is simple: help make Awareness events accessible for as many people as possible, including members of the chronic illness community who are homebound or bedbound.
Ways to participate:
1: Join a community gathering on Zoom!
Join the ME | FM Society of BC and Opera Mariposa for a digital community gathering to honour Blue Sunday, hosted by Society board member Sophie. Bring your favourite tea and a snack – and if you can, donate what you’d typically spend on a pot of tea and a slice of cake in a café. Your contributions will help fund crucial advocacy and support for the ME/CFS, Long Covid and fibromyalgia communities. (You do not need to have one of these illnesses to join in.)
When: Sunday, May 18 at 1:00 pm Pacific Time
Where: Online on Zoom (registration required)
Access info:
- Automatic captioning enabled (attendees can switch this on or off – here’s how)
- Includes rest breaks
- Attendees are welcome to have cameras on or off (default is off)
- Attendees are welcome to communicate by speaking or via the written “chat” function
- Photos shared throughout the day on social media, for asynchronous participation
- Further questions or access queries can be sent to executivedirector@mefm.bc.ca
Invite people to the Facebook event
2: Join in worldwide on socials!
People around the world will be joining in to have a cup of tea for a cause:
- Wear something blue (or use some blue decor – get creative!)
- Dig out some cups and saucers, or a favourite mug
- Bake or buy a favourite treat
- Post photos of your home tea party setup to social media with the hashtags #TeaPartyForME2025 and #BlueSunday2025
- If you can, donate the price you’d pay at a cafe to our charity fundraiser.
- Connect with others online who are doing the same – like, comment and share Blue Sunday posts!
Access info: Adapt any steps to make participation more accessible. Donating is appreciated but only if you’re in the position to do so – raising awareness helps as well!


Join us to support
the ME | FM Society of BC!
Enjoy more Benefit + Awareness programming
Discover our other digital offerings for May Awareness Month