- Categories:
- Food & Beverage
- Tags:
- BeverageFestivitiesLiquor
- Where:
- United States
- Date change rule:
- 4th Wednesday of November
- Holiday emoji:
- 🍻
DrinksGiving lights up the calendar the night before Thanksgiving, serving as the ultimate homecoming celebration. Local bars buzz with adults reconnecting with old friends and family over drinks and laughter. Remember to drink responsibly and assign a designated driver, or utilize ride-sharing services like Lyft and Uber for a safe return home.
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Expected DrinksGiving Deals
While we await official 2027 promotions to drop, history shows that bars and restaurants across the country will host special DrinksGiving events. Expect extended happy hours and themed drink specials at local favorites, as well as national chains like TGI Fridays and Applebee’s. Liquor stores such as Total Wine & More and BevMo! often run sales on popular spirits and wines for the holiday weekend. Ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft typically offer discounts or promotions to encourage safe travel. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as November approaches.
Platform Guide for DrinksGiving
TikTok
Tag @www.nationaltoday.com and use #DrinksGiving. Film your homecoming reunion with friends, showcasing festive drinks or responsible celebration tips.
Tag @nationaltoday_ and use #DrinksGiving. Share photos or reels of your DrinksGiving festivities, highlighting creative cocktails or group toasts.
Mention National Today (facebook.com/nationaltoday) and use #DrinksGiving. Create an event for your local bar’s DrinksGiving party or share tips for safe celebrations.
DrinksGiving Hero
The Designated Driver
History of DrinksGiving
Drinksgiving may have an unofficial history but if you’re doing it right nothing gets recorded (or remembered for that matter). However, the history of alcohol is something we can talk about. The world’s oldest brewery was discovered in 2018 in a prehistoric burial site in a cave near Haifa in Israel. Researchers found residue of 13,000 year-old beer that they believe might have been used to honor the dead. The traces of wheat and barley based alcohol were found in stone mortars carved into the cave floor. It had originally been thought that beer making originated in Babylon 5000 years ago, however this new discovery precedes that by about 8000 years!
Evidence of alcoholic beverages has also been found dating from 5,400-5,000 BCE in Hajji, Firuz Tepe in Iran, 3000 BCE in Babylon, 2000 BCE in pre-Hispanic Mexico, and 1500 BCE in Sudan. According to Guinness, the earliest firm evidence of wine production dates back to 6000 BCE in Georgia. Wine was consumed in Classical Greece is breakfast or at symposia, and in the 1st century BCE it was part of the diet of most Roman citizens. Both the Greeks and Romans generally drank diluted wine, which varied between being one part wine and one part water to one part wine and four parts water.
The medicinal use of alcohol was mentioned in Sumerian and Egyptian texts dating back to about 2100 BCE. The Hebrew Bible recommends giving alcoholic drinks to those who are dying or depressed so that they can forget their misery.
In Europe during the Middle Ages, beer (of very low strength) was an everyday drink for all classes and ages of people. A document from the time mentions nuns having an allowance of six pints of ale each day. Cider and pomace wine were generally widely available — grape wine was the prerogative of the higher class.
This is all a long winded way of saying that grabbing some beers with your buds is about as ancient a tradition as there is. Cheers.
DrinksGiving timeline
The oldest bar in America, White Horse Tavern, first opened in 1673 in Newport, Rhode Island.
California's oldest winery, Gundlach Bundschu Winery, was opened in Sonoma, CA by Jacob Gundlach.
Vodka, though unknown to the US just a few years prior, became the popular white spirit of choice among American consumers.
Corona, the popular Mexican lager, made its stateside debut.
How Businesses Can Celebrate DrinksGiving
Local businesses, particularly bars, restaurants, and liquor stores, can fully embrace DrinksGiving. Bars can host themed parties with special drink menus and live music to attract homecoming crowds. Restaurants might offer late-night appetizers alongside drink specials. Liquor stores can promote holiday-themed bundles or discounts on popular beverages, while also emphasizing responsible consumption by partnering with local ride-share services like Uber and Lyft to offer discount codes for safe rides home.
DrinksGiving FAQs
When is DrinksGiving?
DrinksGiving 2026 falls on Friday, November 27, the day after Thanksgiving. It’s the perfect occasion to reconnect with friends and kick off the holiday season.
What is the origin of DrinksGiving?
DrinksGiving, sometimes called Blackout Wednesday, emerged as an informal tradition in the early 2000s. It became a popular night for adults returning home for Thanksgiving to meet up with old friends at local bars, creating a pre-holiday social event.
How many people celebrate DrinksGiving?
While exact numbers are hard to pinpoint for this unofficial holiday, millions of Americans participate in DrinksGiving. It’s widely recognized as one of the busiest nights of the year for bars and restaurants, especially in college towns and suburban areas.
Is DrinksGiving an official holiday?
No, DrinksGiving is not an official federal or state holiday. It is an informal, cultural tradition primarily observed in the United States, driven by social gatherings rather than official recognition.
DrinksGiving Activities
Meetup with childhood friends at your hometown's local bar
That bar you were too young to drink at growing up? Yeah, you're old enough now. You won't even get carded, sorry bud. Gather around the adult hang out spot, now that you're all officially adults yourself. Talk about old times, the present, and the future as you think to yourself, "Man. Was high school really that long ago?"
Invite people over and make your own mixed drinks
Not going to your hometown for the holidays? No worries, because home is where the heart is. And your heart is currently in your kitchen as you make homemade mixed drinks for your friends. Show off your bartending skills and experiment with whatever is in your fridge. Somehow, last minute fridge treasure hunt drinks are always the best drinks.
Dust off your favorite drinking games
Let's be honest, we haven't gone this crazy since college, so make sure you have a few bottles of water on standby to keep your wits about you. Everyone enjoys a social drinking game, even the one friend who doesn't drink but has a cup of soda to play along.
Why We Love DrinksGiving
It's a chance to catch up
It's probably been a year or two since we've last seen our childhood friends. Life gets in the way and adulting takes up all of our time. Not to mention the cost of travel — this is the time to catch up in person, share our respective tales of responsibility, and recollect on childhood shenanigans.
We get a moment with our friends before a full day with our families
Sure, we love our families. But sometimes we need a moment to breathe and decompress before we spend an entire day with a large amount of them at a time. And who better to commiserate with than the friends who grew up with us?
It's another day to celebrate
We can never get enough holiday cheer, especially when there's a day specifically meant for us to have fun with our friends. Get out there and embrace the holiday spirit!
Social Media Tips for DrinksGiving
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