When is Towel Day and what is its purpose?

Towel Day takes place on the 25th of May every year. It is an internationally celebrated holiday. The purpose of Towel Day is to honour the life and work of Douglas Adams and in particular all things The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy-related.

What do you do to celebrate Towel Day?

Basically if you want to celebrate Towel Day all you have to do is carry a towel everywhere you go on the 25th May. That’s all there is to it. Any towel will do - big or small - it really doesn’t matter.

If you see anyone else carrying a towel on this day you know they are a Douglas Adams and/or Hitchhiking fan. If you do spot another hitchhiker it is customary to say hello. A good way to start a conversation with a fellow hitchhiker is to open with a line from the book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for example ‘Don’t panic’ or ‘Hey, you sass¹ that hoopy² Ford Prefect? There's a frood³ who really knows where his towel is.’ Alternately if you meet them in a pub you could always offer to buy them a pan galactic gargle blaster.

If anyone comments on your towel and they don’t already know about Douglas Adams or The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy then this is a good time to introduce them to him.

Why a towel?

For any strags⁴ out there who don’t know; a towel is the most essential peice of kit any hitchhiker could possess. It has many practical uses and is also of great psychological use. For the full list of uses please see H2G2’s page on Towels.

The many uses of towels were first brought to our attention in Douglas Adams’ wholly remarkable book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and that is why a towel is used to honour his life and work.

The history of Towel Day

Douglas Adams died of a heart attack, aged 49 on 11th May 2001. Fans wanted a way to honour his life. One fan, D Clyde Williamson, suggested that two weeks after Douglas Adams death should become Towel Day as a way for fans to pay tribute to him. So on the 25th May 2001 the first Towel day took place.

Towel Day was a success and so it became an annual event. The day has grown in popularity each year as more people become aware it and of Douglas Adams.

Final thoughts on Towel Day

The more strags who become aware of this froody holiday the better.

So long and thanks for all the views.