Oct6 Fun Holiday – Mad Hatter Day

Celebrated annually on October 6, Mad Hatter Day celebrates the Hatter, a key character in Lewis Carol’s Alice in Wonderland.

The unofficial holiday was created in 1986 in Boulder Colorado by a group of computer technicians who were inspired by the Hatter and his antics in the epic fantasy novel.

In the book, the Hatter is an eccentric milliner for whom time is forever stuck at a tea party with his friend the March Hare.

10/6

The date for the holiday was chosen because of how John Tenniel illustrated the Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. The English illustrator who was also a political cartoonist depicted the Hatter wearing a hat with a piece of paper that has 10/6 written on it. The 10/6 refers to the cost of a hat – 10 shillings and 6 pence. The creators of the holiday who are from the United States where the date is written in the month/day (mm/dd) format took this to set the date for the holiday on October 6 (10/6). For those who write the date in the day/ month (dd/mm) format, the holiday would fall on June 10.

How to Celebrate?

• Read Alice in Wonderland.
• Watch the movies based on the novel.
• Wear a hat the whole day.
• Host an Alice in Wonderland themed tea party.

Did You Know...

...that even though this holiday is called Mad Hatter Day and that the Hatter is also popularly known as the Mad Hatter, Lewis Carol never refers to the character as the Mad Hatter?

Mad Hatter Day Observances

Fun Holiday: Mad Hatter Day Observances
Year	Weekday	Date	Name
2024	Sun	6 Oct	Mad Hatter Day
2025	Mon	6 Oct	Mad Hatter Day
2026	Tue	6 Oct	Mad Hatter Day
2027	Wed	6 Oct	Mad Hatter Day
2028	Fri	6 Oct	Mad Hatter Day
2029	Sat	6 Oct	Mad Hatter Day
2030	Sun	6 Oct	Mad Hatter Day
2031	Mon	6 Oct	Mad Hatter Day
2032	Wed	6 Oct	Mad Hatter Day
2033	Thu	6 Oct	Mad Hatter Day

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