Every Day is a (Food) Holiday
As the taste of Thanksgiving fades with the last leftover turkey sandwich, we begin to anticipate the arrival of upcoming holidays and the dishes that will mark those occasions. While Christmas or Hanukkah may come to mind, there are a number of lesser-known holidays right around the corner. Take November 30th, for instance; it’s National Mousse Day. That’s right, one day dedicated to the celebration of mousse and all its glory. There’s chocolate mousse, lemon mousse, mocha mousse, raspberry white chocolate mousse, and sea urchin mousse, and that’s just the beginning.
While some food holidays may not garner much attention – National Spicy Hermit Cookie Day, for instance – celebrations of more mainstream foods are gaining traction on social media sites and opening the door for food brands to engage their audience in a concentrated, relevant manner.
Take National Donut Day, for instance. The #NationalDonutDay hashtag was tweeted 15,000 times as tweeters photographed and discussed donuts. Donut shops like Krispy Kreme capitalized on the opportunity, giving a free donut to each patron and gaining attention on various social media sites in the process. On Twitter alone, Krispy Kreme was mentioned 1,500 times alongside the #NationalDonutDay hashtag.¹
Dunkin’ Donuts took to Facebook for National Donut Day, promoting its offer of a free donut with the purchase of a large beverage and encouraging fans to RSVP to its National Donut Day Facebook event. Even though there was no actual gathering, over 80,000 people responded as a commitment to get a donut that day.1
National Donut Day is just one food holiday that has been integrated with a brand awareness campaign; the calendar is filled with food-focused holidays, from National Cheeseburger Day to National Parfait Day.
What is your favorite food holiday? What food do you think should be celebrated?
1 Ehrlich, Brenna. “National Donut Day Draws 80,000+ RSVPs on Facebook.” Mashable. Web. 14 November 2012.
