Fun Holidays

Here at National Today, we like our couch—but we love fun holidays that let us get active, go on adventures, or even just treat ourselves even more. We’re so excited to celebrate 38 fun holidays each year!

Where did fun activity holidays come from?

Before the Industrial Revolution, there were no holidays to celebrate besides the obvious contenders (think Christmas and New Year's). However, around this time, the definition of a holiday slowly started to change. People started to think of holidays as small occasions that could be integrated into their everyday lives rather than large, more solemn or official celebrations that required time off, presents, and family gatherings.

Different forces started to capitalize on this shift in thinking. Ordinary folks jumped on the bandwagon—we don't know exactly who started National Rubber Ducky Day (Jan. 13), but we're pretty sure it's a super-fan of Sesame Street. Brands and associations also got in on the fun (National Houseplant Appreciation Day was started by the Gardener's Network, for example).

Today, we have hundreds of lighthearted and fun holidays to celebrate. They allow us to get out of the house and fully appreciate our environment!

Submit your favorite fun holidays

Is there a holiday you celebrate every year you don't see here? Propose your holiday to our curators at our holiday submission page. You'll be asked to share a little bit about the holiday before we accept your submission. Have articles been written about the holiday? Have you seen people celebrating it on social media? If your holiday passes all of the requirements, we'd love to hear from you!