Towel Day: A Tribute to Douglas Adams
- Created: Thursday, 30 April 2020 12:00
The countdown is on — May 25th is approaching, and we’ve all got a reason to celebrate. Get your bathroom gear ready to commemorate Towel Day in style!
Towel Day? Yes, you heard us right. This celebration takes place around the world each year on May 25th. All you have to do to participate is carry a towel with you everywhere you go.
If you’ve never heard of Towel Day before, here’s your chance to discover the ins and outs of this whimsical yet meaningful day.
What Is Towel Day?
Towel Day is celebrated in honor of the life and work of Douglas Adams. You likely know him as the imaginative author behind “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” a five-book series that launched a television series, stage plays, comics and a feature film. Thanks to its origins as a BBC radio comedy, this captivating story earned Adams a spot in The Radio Academy’s Hall of Fame.
In his classic series, Adams pinpoints towels as the single most useful item that an interstellar hitchhiker can possess.As the narrative explains, you can use your towel as a warm blanket, a soft surface, a mini-raft sail, a distress signal, a head wrap — and, of course, you can use your towel to dry yourself.
Beyond practical value, Adams’ story showed that the towel could have great psychological value as well. The towel is used as a signal that a hitchhiker is a force to be reckoned with. If they can travel throughout the galaxy in harsh conditions and yet still keep their towel in possession, they must have the special something it takes to survive. “Knowing where your towel is” became a symbol of having it together.
Readers delighted in the surprising choice to pluck this relatively inconspicuous bathroom staple and elevate it into the must-have survival essential. Thanks to the prominence Adams places on the towel in his fantastical galaxy, his audience began to associate the iconic series with this item. After his death, celebrating Towel Day became a way to commemorate the beloved author and the literary legacy he’d left behind.
When Is Towel Day?
The first Towel Day tribute was held on May 25, 2001. This was just two weeks after Adams’ unexpected passing at the age of 49. Since 2001, it has been celebrated annually on this date in countries across the globe
Creative Ways to Celebrate Towel Day
Celebrating Towel Day is pretty straightforward, and the best part is, you likely already own everything you need. To participate, all that’s required is one simple task: Carry a towel with you everywhere you travel on May 25th. Classroom, office, coffee shop, restaurant, gym, public transport, the park — wherever you’re headed, just keep your towel, preferably a clean one, in tow.
You can keep it slung over one arm, tie it around your back like a majestic cape or wrap it around you creatively.In keeping with the adventurous spirit of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” you can use your towel to sleep beneath the stars or sail your raft down the river — although this last one may work best in Adams’ fictional world. No matter what the day holds, you’ll be ready to face it all with a trusty towel at your side.
In addition to keeping your towel with you at all times, you can choose to participate in Towel Day by re-reading the books, listening to the original 1978 radio series or watching the BBC television rendition. Don’t forget to join the global celebration by sharing photos of your towel with the Towel Day community online.
Depending on where the day takes you, you might get a few questions about why you’re carrying a towel. This is a great opportunity to pay tribute to the late Douglas Adams and share a little insight into his popular story. Now that you’re geared up with fun facts about how and why Towel Day began, you can carry your towel with pride.
Celebrate Towel Day in Style With Towels From Towel Super Center
Do you have everything you need to celebrate Towel Day in style? If not, we’ve got you covered. Stock up on your supply of 100% cotton terry towels when you order online from Towel Super Center. On every other day of the year, you can use our towels for the usual purposes, whether you need them for a gym, salon, hotel, country club or even your home. Browse our wholesale towel supply today, and set yourself up for a Towel Day to remember.
