Practically every day of the calendar has a “holiday” you can celebrate, from the “Polar Bear Plunge Day” on New Year’s Day to “Make Up Your Mind Day” on the last day of the year. As silly as some of these dedicated days are (many dreamed up by organizations and marketers), some of these are great times to score free stuff, like free food, free entertainment, and more. Here’s how you can celebrate with freebies all year round.
In addition to the typical holidays, like Valentine’s Day and even Tax Day, it turns out companies love to give away free stuff on pretty obscure, annual holidays. Keep your eye on the ones below, and please add ones not on this list in the comments so we can update our calendars. I’ve started a public Google Calendar you can add to your calendar or just add individual events. (For the holidays that vary each year, I just added them to the beginning of the month as a reminder and in a different color.)
Special Freebie Holidays
January 19, National Popcorn Day: Many malls, movie theaters, and university student centers treat popcorn lovers to a free bag. Check if that gourmet popcorn store near you is celebrating as well or in the month of October, which happens to be National Popcorn Month.
February (varies), National Pancake Day: It turns out IHOP offers stacks of free pancakes on its own pancake holiday, separate from “International Pancake Day” also in February. The dates of these pancake celebrations vary but are both in February, usually the Tuesday before the Christian holiday Ash Wednesday (Shrove Tuesday).
February 23, World Yoga Day: Yoga teachers and schools around the world celebrate yoga with two-hour classes you can take for free or donate what you want. Note also that September is National Yoga Month, another great time to find free a free week of yoga classes and other goodies, regardless of your yoga style.
March 20, Free Rita’s Italian Ice on the First Day of Spring: Get a free limited edition cup of Italian ice in your flavor of choice to welcome spring back.
March 31, World Backup Day: We’ve highlighted this important holiday before, which is both a reminder to get that backup task done and an opportunity to get free or discounted online backup offers.
March-April (varies), Ben Jerry’s Free Cone Day: The beloved ice cream shop gives away free scoops every year. This year it was on Tuesday, April 9th, but you’ll have to stay tuned for the next dates.
April 22, Earth Day: On Earth Day, you can pick up a ton of useful household stuff—not just free food. In the past, retailers like Target, the Disney Store, Home Depot, and others offered customers free reusable bags, seeds, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and more Earth-friendly supplies and information.
April 26, National Pretzel Day: Governor Ed Rendell of pretzel-loving state Pennsylvania declared April 26 “National Pretzel Day” in 2003. In honor of that salty snack, pretzel companies like Snyder’s of Hanover and Auntie Anne’s offer free samples and discounts.
May (First Saturday), Free Comic Book Day: Your favorite neighborhood comic book shop likely participates in this holiday when you can walk in and score comic books for absolutely free. You don’t_ have_ to dress in costume, but that’s the spirit of the day.
May (varies, usually the Friday before Mother’s Day), National Public Gardens Day: Get free passes for two to a public garden (see the website for coupon and participating public gardens), and access to workshops, exhibits, and more.
June 1-9, National Fishing Boating Week: During this week-long celebration, most states allow the public to fish without a license on some bodies of water.
June (First Friday), National Donut Day: Surprisingly enough, National Donut Day was invented by the Salvation Army, not donut retailers. Pick up a free donut at Dunkin’ Donuts, Krispy Kreme, and possibly other treats places.
June 10, Iced Tea Day: Have a cool glass of iced tea today. This year retailers like 7-Eleven celebrated by offering customers a free bottle of Snapple Iced Tea, and Teavana also offered free iced tea as well.
July (varies), Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-A-Fil: This is really a thing. Come dressed as a cow from head to foot and Chick-A-Fil will give you a free meal. Come in only partial cow costume for just a free entree. For 2014, Cow Appreciation Day will be on July 11.
July 11, Free Slurpee Day at 7-Eleven: Before or after your Chick-A-Fil meal, head to 7-Eleven to celebrate the convenience store’s birthday with a free Slurpee.
July (Third Sunday), National Ice Cream Day: Head to your favorite ice cream shop to celebrate. Here are a few examples of the deals offered previously, mostly buy-one-get-one-free at places like Baskin Robbins. The whole month of July is dedicated to ice cream, actually, so you’ll likely find specials all month long.
August 1, India Pale Ale (IPA) Beer Day: The Beer Advocate says of this holiday: “IPA Day is not the brainchild of a corporate marketing machine, nor is it meant to serve any particular beer brand. IPA Day is an opportunity for all breweries, bloggers, businesses and consumers to connect and share their love of craft beer. It is an opportunity for the entire craft beer culture to combine forces and advocate craft beer through increased education and global awareness.” Find festivals (probably with free samples) and special events to enjoy an IPA beer at The Beer Advocate.
September (varies), Free Museum Day: Over 1,400 museums and cultural venues open their doors each year with free admission, thanks to this annual event hosted by Smithsonian Museums. This year it happened on September 29.
September 21, National Gymnastics Day: Looking for something fun and active to do with your family? Head to a gym where you’ll find games, entertainment, activities, and fitness zones for kids of all ages.
September 29, National Coffee Day: Grab a free cup of Joe on this holiday that’s celebrated internationally. This year, major chains like Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Peet’s Coffee Tea—as well as smaller coffee roasters and cafes—offered free or discounted coffee.
October 24, Food Day: Food Day is a “nationwide celebration and a movement for healthy, affordable, and sustainable food.” Community events around the country vary from hosted food drives to free recipes, farm tours, and lectures.
October 31, Halloween: You can get more than just candy for free on Halloween. Last year, several restaurants, including Outback Steakhouse and Chipotle, offered free meals for diners dressed in costume. Those specials might still be available this year, in addition to the free treat bags, pancakes, glowsticks, and other Halloween-themed items.
November (Veteran’s Day weekend), US National Park Free Entrance Day: Along with a few other times during the year, during Veteran’s Day weekend you can visit a national park for free.
Veterans can also enjoy free meals at restaurants like Applebee’s, Chili’s, and Lone Star Steakhouse.
December (varies), Free Shipping Day: On Free Shipping Day, you don’t really get stuff for free, but you can get it shipped somewhere for free—just in time for the holidays. This year, free shipping offers will be revealed on December 18.
Major Holidays
In addition to those National “Whatever” Days, there are also weeks and months dedicated to specific causes. October, for example, is not just Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but also National Cookbook Month and National Seafood Month, among others.
The most obvious time to check for freebies, though, is before major holidays and events, from Super Bowl Sunday (think appetizers and beer specials) to Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Cyber Monday, and beyond. About.com’s Freebies site has a helpful directory of holiday freebies updated each year. There’s also a food-only list of holidays here, and if you really want to be overwhelmed with how many unusual designations we have on the national calendar, head to National Day Calendar, where you’ll learn February 4th is National Thank a Mailman Day and November 18 is Married to a Scorpio Support Day. (Free mailmen and marriage to Scorpios not included.)
Finally, don’t forget to claim your all the freebies for your birthday too! And, again, add any I’ve missed here in the comments so I can update the calendar.
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The post Get Free Stuff All Year Long with This Master List of Freebie Holidays appeared first on IT Clips.
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