- Categories:
- Fun
- Tags:
- CrazyFunnyPop Culture
- Where:
- United States
- Date change rule:
- Every October 6
- Holiday emoji:
- 🎩
Mad Hatter Day invites you to embrace the wonderfully absurd every October 6. Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s iconic character, it’s a day to don your wildest hat, host an unbirthday tea party, or simply revel in delightful nonsense. Get ready to celebrate with whimsical flair and a touch of delightful madness!
Want to sponsor Mad Hatter Day? Learn how
Expected Mad Hatter Day Deals
While we await official 2027 promotions, history shows that retailers often embrace the whimsical spirit of Mad Hatter Day. Expect specialty tea shops like Teavana or David’s Tea to offer discounts on unique blends and tea party accessories. Novelty costume stores such as Spirit Halloween or Party City might feature sales on top hats, wigs, and Alice in Wonderland-themed costumes. Bookstores like Barnes & Noble could highlight editions of Lewis Carroll’s classics. Even local bakeries might whip up ‘Eat Me’ cakes or ‘Drink Me’ potions. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as October 6 approaches.
Platform Guide for Mad Hatter Day
Tag @nationaltoday_ and use #MadHatterDay. Share your most whimsical outfit, elaborate tea party setup, or creative hat designs.
TikTok
Tag @www.nationaltoday.com and use #MadHatterDay. Film a short skit reenacting a scene from the Mad Hatter’s tea party or showcase a DIY crazy hat tutorial.
Mention National Today (facebook.com/nationaltoday) and use #MadHatterDay. Share photos from your ‘unbirthday’ celebrations or invite friends to a virtual tea party.
Mad Hatter Day Hero
Lewis Carroll
Mad Hatter Day timeline
​Walt Disney animated "Alice in Wonderland" as part of a series of short features entitled "Alice in Slumberland."
​The U.S. Public Health Service prohibited the felt industry from continuing to use mercury, deeming it a public health hazard.
​Until the beginning of the 1960's, American men were rarely if ever seen in public without their hats — but hats with brims began to disappear as a fashion staple by the middle of the decade.
​When a group of computer programmers saw Sir John Tenniel's original illustrations of the Mad Hatter in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," they petitioned as a group for a national day of recognition.
​Lewis Carroll would be surprised to know that his Hatter endures after over 150 years with the latest depictions featuring Johnny Depp in the 2016 film "Alice Through the Looking Glass," and the 2010 version "Alice in Wonderland."
How Businesses Can Celebrate Mad Hatter Day
Local businesses can tap into the whimsical spirit of Mad Hatter Day by hosting ‘unbirthday’ tea parties with special menus and themed decor. Bakeries could offer creatively decorated cakes and pastries, while coffee shops might introduce ‘Drink Me’ specialty beverages. Retailers could encourage customers to wear their craziest hats for a discount or host a hat-decorating workshop. Even offices can join the fun with a silly hat competition or a themed potluck, fostering a lighthearted atmosphere for employees.
Mad Hatter Day FAQs
When is Mad Hatter Day?
Mad Hatter Day 2026 falls on Tuesday, October 6. It’s a perfect mid-week opportunity to inject some delightful nonsense into your routine and embrace the absurd.
Who is the Mad Hatter?
The Mad Hatter is a fictional character from Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.’ He is known for his eccentric behavior, love for tea parties, and penchant for riddles, famously asking ‘Why is a raven like a writing-desk?’
Why is it called Mad Hatter Day?
Mad Hatter Day is celebrated on October 6, inspired by the illustration of the Mad Hatter in Lewis Carroll’s book. In John Tenniel’s famous drawing, the Hatter wears a hat with a slip of paper that reads ‘In this style 10/6’, referring to the price in shillings and pence.
What is an 'unbirthday'?
An ‘unbirthday’ is a concept popularized by the Mad Hatter and March Hare in ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,’ referring to any day that is not your birthday. It’s an excuse to celebrate for no particular reason, embracing joy on ordinary days.
Mad Hatter Day Activities
Re-enact or re-read passages from the book
Approach your local library and see if any activities are planned for National Mad Hatter Day. If not, offer to put together a re-enactment of the Mad Hatter's tea party with a group of children. If you don't want to act out the tea party, why not read sections out loud and let children discover something wonderful in literature? Or, simply sit down with a cup of tea and rediscover the adventure of following the White Rabbit down that hole to Wonderland.
Watch a marathon of silly movies
National Mad Hatter Day is a perfect time to watch silly movies with your friends. W.C. Fields, the Marx Brothers, the Three Stooges and Laurel and Hardy all have at least one member who wears a top hat in the middle of insane antics. Make a night of it and you'll be surprised at how these early films stand the test of the time.
Wear a silly hat
Get ditzy and wear a funny hat. It can be a Cat in the Hat type hat, an over-sized wood cap like Rerun's, or fall back to the classic top hat. When people raise eyebrows wondering what you're doing, invite them to your tea party and share the story of the Mad Hatter. We all need some silly right now.
5 Reasons The Mad Hatter Rules
​He was based on a real person
​Lewis Carroll may have modeled his Mad Hatter after Theophilus Carter, a man who invented the Alarm Clock Bed — which awakened sleepers by casting them into a tub of cold water.
​He has a shop at Disneyland
​The Mad Hatter's Shop at Disneyland features a wall mirror where that creepy smiling Cheshire Cat slowly appears after you stare into it long enough.
​He was Batman's nemesis
​In the DC comic "Batman Number 49," the Mad Hatter stars as a supervillain/mad scientist who controls the minds of his victims by using various devices stored in his hat.
​The book bombed when it was published
​In 1865, Lewis Carroll's book received negative reviews when it came out — described by one critic as "too extravagantly absurd to produce more diversion than disappointment and irritation."
​Lewis Carroll grew up in a hat-making town
​Lewis Carroll understood hatters, mad and otherwise, due to his upbringing in Manchester, England where hat-making was the primary occupation.
Why We Love Mad Hatter Day
It's based on a book
"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll is the 19th-century version of "Bizarro World." Carroll's 1865 book follows a precocious seven-year-old girl down a rabbit hole and into a world of disappearing Cheshire cats, babies transformed into piglets and a head-chopping queen. The Mad Hatter's absurd tea party is simultaneously enticing and frightful, like an early version of Groundhog Day, never- ending and complete with a dormouse stuffed daily into a teacup.
It never uses the phrase "mad as a hatter."
In Carroll's book, the eccentric tea party thrower is simply referred to as "Hatter." However, the phrase "mad as a hatter" was a staple of British jargon for almost 30 years. It referred to a time in the 18th and 19th centuries when hat makers used mercury nitrate as part of the process for curing felt. As we know now, mercury poisoning can manifest in supposed eccentric behavior like slurred speech, drooling, and diarrhea. The behavior resulted in someone being referred to as "mad as a hatter."
It's a day to act silly
National Mad Hatter Day brings out the silliness in all of us. The Mad Hatter sees the world as one continuous tea party — full of tempting biscuits and eccentric guests where everyone makes up their own rules. In a time of increasing partisanship and rigidity, the Mad Hatter invites all of us to wear what we like, do what we like, and share some tea and scones with anyone we like.
Social Media Tips for Mad Hatter Day
Individuals
Creators
Brands