International Towel Day 2021 — The 20th anniversary of a day like any other day….or, not!

On: May 25, 2021, By: Bill Young

Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

“A towel, [The Guide] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Not only does it have great practical value, a towel has immense psychological value” – Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Earlier this month, H2G2 fans marked the 20th anniversary since the all-too-early passing of creator/writer, Douglas Adams. Festivities continue around the world throughout the month of May which will also mark also the 20th anniversary of the first Towel Day which took place just two weeks after Adams passed away from a heart attack on May 11, 2001.

May 25th, the annual celebration of the life and work of the late, great Douglas Adams is finally here and filled with the usual fanfare that Towel Day aficionados have come to expect. This year, online celebrations and events will occur around the world from Australia to the United States and all points in-between.

While there have been endless celebrations across Planet Earth, Towel Day isn’t only for those residing on the planet. Check out European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti reading from Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” while aboard the European laboratory Columbus on the International Space Station back in 2015.

Past celebrations took place in Richmond, VA, where Book People offered a 42% discount to anyone openly wearing or carrying a towel and in El Paso, TX, the El Paso Arts Council held the inaugural Borderland Vogon Poetry Slam. This year, in Lincoln, NE, Don’t Panic Labs will again serve as public collection sites for donations of new and used towels for use at the People’s City Mission shelter. The 9-day rally across Lincoln to collect as many new or used towels as possible concludes today.

So you won’t have to have your Pangalactic gargle blaster all by yourself this year, there are numerous online virtual events that you can participate in across the globe. Whether celebrating with other froods or by yourself, raise a glass this weekend to the brilliance of Douglas Adams. For a list of all scheduled events, click here.