- Shark Week is an American holiday that you canʼt find on any calendar. It started in 1988, when a cable TV channel held Shark Week for the first time. This special still continues today, with scientific, documentary, and history features about sharks every day for a week. Other channels also joined in, showing old shark movies, shark themed game shows, and much more. Some people hold Shark Week parties or bake shark themed cakes or cookies. You can even buy Shark Week souvenirs. It is said that its popularity comes from the thrill of danger that sharks represent. Held for one week in July or August every year, Shark Week is looked forward to by people of all ages.