Since October 5 is always National Get Funky Day, follow orders! As “One Nation Under a Groove,” we have a collective opportunity to pay homage to the power and majesty of The Funk. We’re not talking funk as in depressing, but funk as in get-happy-and-celebrate-life!
National Get Funky Day is the brainchild of Funkytown Fitness, a fitness center in St. Augustine, Florida. After Hurricane Matthew slammed into Florida, a group of Funkytown Fitness folks assembled to create National Get Funky Day every year on October 5 as a way to “help people break free of their comfort zones.” Today, make it funky anyway you want for as long as you want!
National Get Funky Day timeline
Funk pioneer, George Clinton, releases "Give Up the Funk" — proving once again why he is the Master of the Mothership.
No one understood the mystery of the funk like James Brown, but he breaks it down so anyone can understand with the iconic powerhouse song, "Make It Funky."
Wild Cherry, a predominantly white band, admonishes a colleague to "Play That Funky Music, White Boy"— which gets Americans of every color on the dance floor shaking that thang.
Straight out of New York City, the Beastie Boys release their hit, "Funky Bass," which definitively proves that funk is a feeling not bound by race, creed or color.
Playwright George C. Wolfe collaborates with tap dancer extraordinaire, Savion Glover, on "Bring in da' Noise — Bring in da' Funk," a musical journey of African-American history using tap dance.
Clinton and Parliament are inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
National Get Funky Day Activities
Dance!
To truly be funky you have to go dancing. Deep funk means you grab some 70s-era platforms, throw on a glittery outfit and hit the dance floor to some Parliament, Bootsy Collins or even Con Funk Shun. Most importantly, you can't have funk without lots of bass beats.
Dye your hair more than one color
To capture the true spirit of the funk, you have to do something crazy with your hair. It's mandatory. Purple glitter Afro? Yes, please! If you're a natural blonde, go for turquoise hair and wear it proudly.
Get outside of your clique
National Get Funky Day dares us to do something really different with people who may or may not be in our regular groups. The funkiest think you can do is to reach out to people completely unlike yourself and learn a new story. Share a meal or just a cup of tea. You'll find the funk has the power to bring people together.
Our 5 Fave Facts Of Funk
Grace Jones understands it
When Grace Jones told us to "pull up to the bumper, baby," we did as we were told.
Blondie turned it into rapture
Blondie wrote one of the first rap tunes in the modern era with "Rapture," even mentioning veejay Fab Five Freddy of Yo' MTV Raps in the lyrics.
Fowl can also be funky
Both the Funky Chicken and the Funky Duck were dance crazes that dominated the dance floor for about a funky minute.
It's in food
If you want to taste the funk, try hoghead cheese, which is really a kind of meat jelly made with bits of flesh from the head of a calf or pig and set in aspic — and considered a delicacy.
It's a dictionary
In 1893, Funk and Wagnalls created a dictionary of the English language emphasizing accurate phonetics and simple spelling of words.
Why We Love National Get Funky Day
It's happy
Life has had its weird ups and downs lately for pretty much everyone. Why not exercise, dance or roller skate your worries away to the flow of the funk? Funk doesn't hurt anybody (except if you forget to use anti-perspirant but that's a totally different kind of funk.) After a good funky workout, you just feel great!
It's in your soul
No one actually knows the source of the funk but most folks believe that funk dwells in your soul. National Get Funky Day allows that funk to spread throughout your body, burst through your pores and leak out onto the dance floor. Then, funk lets you drop it like it's hot! Funk relieves our frustrations and remind us we're alive.
It's liberating
Funk is freedom in its purest form. There's no pretense with funk because you're either funky or you're not. If you're not feeling the funk, then don't fake it. Folks always know when you're faking the funk!
National Get Funky Day dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | October 5 | Sunday |
| 2026 | October 5 | Monday |
| 2027 | October 5 | Tuesday |
| 2028 | October 5 | Thursday |
| 2029 | October 5 | Friday |
Log In With Google