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Mad Hatter Day

Fun · October 6

A day for the Mad Hatter of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, his endless tea party, odd riddles and the cheerful nonsense he stands for.

Mad Hatter Day falls on Wednesday, October 6, 2027. That is 344 days away.

The Mad Hatter is the hat maker who hosts a tea party that never ends in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. He shares the table with the March Hare and a sleepy Dormouse, and when Alice arrives they shout that there is no room, though the table is mostly empty.

His day is a nod to nonsense. The Hatter asks why a raven is like a writing desk and then admits he has no idea. He insists it is always six o'clock, so it is always teatime, and the guests simply move around the table to clean cups instead of washing up. Reading the chapter again, it is easy to see why the character stuck. He is rude, rattled and oddly likable, all at once.

People mark the day lightly. Some wear the tallest or strangest hat they own. Others pour tea in mismatched cups, swap seats halfway through, or trade riddles that have no proper answer. Offices and classrooms sometimes turn it into a day for harmless silliness, the kind that costs nothing and leaves no mess.

In the book's illustrations by John Tenniel, the Hatter wears a tall hat with a card tucked in the band. It reads "In this style 10/6," a price tag he never got around to removing.

Ways to celebrate

• Wear your most unusual hat for the whole day.
• Host a tea party with mismatched cups and change seats often.
• Reread the tea party chapter of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
• Trade riddles with friends, answers optional.
• Draw or make a paper top hat with a price card in the band.

Dates

All national days on October 6

Also on October 6

• National Noodle Day
• National Badger Day
• National Kale Day

Categories: Fun days