Father’s Day is not a Federal holiday, but it is a popular day to celebrate. And for good reason. Father’s Day is a day to honor the men who raised you, yes, even grandfathers, step-fathers, and other important male role models in your life.
Father’s Day is celebrated every year on the third Sunday in June. Other countries also celebrate Father’s Day, but many fall on different dates, and may be observed in different ways.
Father’s Day will be observed on Sunday, June 15, 2025.
Best Ways To Celebrate Father’s Day
Common Ways To Celebrate Father’s Day
- Buy him flowers (or a plant) and a greeting card.
- Get him a gift like fishing gear, sporting goods, gift cards, or the traditional tie or slippers.
- Make him a special brunch or dinner.
- Take him out for brunch or dinner.
- Attend a church service together.
- Do his chores for him.
- Bake him his favorite dessert.
More Great Ways To Celebrate Father’s Day
- Take him to a local sporting event.
- Take him on a fishing trip.
- Take him on a weekend getaway.
- Make him a photo album or memory book.
- Spend a day at the spa with him for Father’s Day relaxation.
- Organize a family tournament and play football, soccer, or his favorite sport.
- Take him bowling, ax throwing, or to the batting cages.
- Take him wine tasting or to a local brewery to sample craft brews.
- Take him camping.
- Take him on a weekend road trip.
- Have a family BBQ complete with lawn games.
- Take him to see a concert or live music event.
- Participate in a volunteer activity together that is meaningful to him.
- Visit a nearby National Park.
- Visit a nearby State Park.
- Take him on a Father’s Day hike or bike ride.
- Tour a local historic site.
- Go horseback riding together.
- Take him to a local car show.
- Have a family game night.
- Take him to an escape room.
- Spend a day at the beach together.
- Spend a day at the park together.
- Spend a day on the lake or harbor, or go whale watching.
- Take him stand up paddle boarding.
- Spend the day poolside at a local resort.
- Get a Go City Tourist Pass and spend the weekend visiting local attractions.
- Visit a local museum together.
- Take him to a rooftop lounge or restaurant for dinner and drinks.
Father’s Day Fun Facts
- Father’s Day gained significant popularity during World War II, when advertisers claimed that celebrating the day was a way to honor American troops and support the war effort.
- Before Dodd’s Father’s Day campaign, an unofficial Father’s Day service was held on July 5, 1908, honoring the 362 men killed in an explosion at the Fairmont Coal Company.
- Dodd’s first Father’s Day celebration was held in the state of Washington.
- Roses were an official symbol for Father’s Day during early celebrations.
- There was a movement in the 1920s and 30s to eliminate Mother’s and Father’s Day and combine them in a single celebration, Parent’s Day.
- Father’s Day is the 4th best selling day for greeting cards.
- In Thailand, Father’s Day is celebrated on the King’s Birthday, December 5th.
- In Germany, Father’s Day is called Mannertag and usually involves traditional food and a lot of drinking.
History Of Father’s Day
Father’s Day was first celebrated in June 1910, a few years after the first Mother’s Day was celebrated. But it didn’t earn official National Holiday status until 1972.
Anna Jarvis hosted the first successful Mother’s Day celebration in 1908. Sonora Smart Dodd used it as inspiration to start her own observance honoring male parents, as the daughter of a widower who raised her and her five siblings. Like Jarvis, Dodd earned financial support backing the idea and successfully hosted the first Father’s Day celebration on June 19, 1910.
The holiday spread slowly to other states and communities, and several Presidents urged celebration for the day. But it wasn’t until 1972 that Richard Nixon signed a proclamation making Father’s Day an official federal holiday on the third Sunday of June.
Mother’s Day caught on quickly, thanks to it’s commercialization by florists, retailers, and greeting card companies. But Father’s Day was more difficult, as flowers weren’t commonly gifted to men. Instead, retailers began marketing goods like ties, hats, sports equipment, and pipes.
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