Invite an Alien to Live with You Day
July 21
About Invite an Alien to Live with You Day
Invite an Alien to Live with You Day falls on Tuesday, 21 July 2026. This light-hearted, unofficial holiday encourages people to embrace their love of science fiction, friendly extraterrestrials, and a little cosmic imagination. The date is no accident: it marks the birthday of the late comedian Robin Williams, whose breakout role as the alien Mork in the sitcom “Mork & Mindy” gave the day its inspiration.
How to Celebrate Invite an Alien to Live with You Day
This is a day built almost entirely around having fun, so the celebrations are limited only by your imagination. Here are plenty of ideas to get you started.
- Host an alien-themed party – Decorate your home with foil, fairy lights, and inflatable flying saucers, and ask guests to arrive dressed as their favourite extraterrestrial. Green face paint and antennae headbands are always a crowd-pleaser.
- Rewatch “Mork & Mindy” – Settle in with the show that started it all. Watching Robin Williams improvise his way through Mork’s misunderstandings of human life is the most fitting tribute of all.
- Have a science-fiction film marathon – Queue up friendly-alien classics such as “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, “Lilo & Stitch”, or “Paul” for a full day of intergalactic company.
- Set a place at the dinner table for your “alien guest” – Lay an extra setting and serve some otherworldly food. Think green smoothies, star-shaped biscuits, and anything you can plausibly describe as “space rations”.
- Learn a few words of Orkan – Greet everyone you meet with “Na-Nu Na-Nu” and a split-fingered handshake, and deploy “Shazbot” whenever something goes wrong. Mork would approve.
- Build a model UFO or alien craft – Get the children involved with cardboard, tin foil, and glitter. It is a brilliant rainy-day activity that doubles as party decoration.
- Stargaze and look for visitors – When darkness falls, head outside with a blanket and scan the skies. You probably will not spot a flying saucer, but you might catch a meteor or two, which is the next best thing.
- Share the day online – Post your alien costumes, decorations, and party snaps to keep the fun spreading. A photo of your “house guest from Ork” is guaranteed to raise a smile.
What is Invite an Alien to Live with You Day?
Invite an Alien to Live with You Day is an unofficial novelty holiday that celebrates friendly extraterrestrials and the joy of welcoming the unexpected. It takes its cue from “Mork & Mindy”, the American sitcom in which the human Mindy McConnell invites a curious alien named Mork to live in her home while he studies human behaviour. The day is enjoyed by science-fiction fans, families, and anyone who fancies an excuse to be a little silly, and it carries a gentle message about hospitality, open-mindedness, and welcoming those who are different from us.
When is Invite an Alien to Live with You Day?
Invite an Alien to Live with You Day is observed every year on 21 July. In 2026 that falls on a Tuesday. The date is fixed and never changes, which makes it easy to plan ahead, and it was chosen because 21 July is the birthday of Robin Williams, who was born on that day in 1951 and went on to play television’s most famous house-guest alien.
The History of Invite an Alien to Live with You Day
The day is rooted in pop-culture history rather than any official proclamation. Its inspiration, “Mork & Mindy”, began life as a one-off episode of “Happy Days” titled “My Favorite Orkan”, in which an alien from the planet Ork arrived on Earth. The character proved so popular that ABC commissioned a full spin-off series, and “Mork & Mindy” premiered on 14 September 1978. Robin Williams, then largely unknown, was cast as Mork after a memorable audition in which he reportedly sat on his head when asked to take a seat. Producer Garry Marshall later joked that Williams was the only person who auditioned who actually seemed like an alien.
The series ran on ABC until 27 May 1982, and at its peak it drew enormous audiences, with around 55 to 60 million viewers tuning in each week during its first season. Mork’s catchphrases, the greeting “Na-Nu Na-Nu” and the exasperated “Shazbot”, entered everyday language, and the show launched Robin Williams into a stratospheric career across comedy and film. The central premise, a human kindly inviting an alien to share her home, is exactly what this holiday celebrates.
No single person or organisation is credited with founding Invite an Alien to Live with You Day. Like many novelty observances, it surfaced on quirky holiday calendars in the early 2000s and spread through blogs, pop-culture websites, and social media. Its choice of 21 July, Robin Williams’ birthday, means that celebrating the day has also become an affectionate way to remember the beloved performer, who died in 2014.
Fun Facts About Invite an Alien to Live with You Day
- The day shares its date with Robin Williams’ birthday, 21 July 1951, making it a double celebration for fans of the actor.
- Mork’s home planet, Ork, gave us the nonsense word “Shazbot”, which Williams improvised as an Orkan curse word during filming.
- Mork’s “Na-Nu Na-Nu” greeting paired a hand gesture similar to the Vulcan salute with a handshake, blending two sci-fi traditions into one.
- “Mork & Mindy” began as a single episode of “Happy Days” before becoming a hit series in its own right.
- During its debut season, the show averaged roughly 60 million viewers an episode, briefly outperforming the show it had spun off from.
- If you enjoy this celebration, you may also like World UFO Day, which lands earlier in the same month on 2 July.
Why Invite an Alien to Live with You Day Matters
Beneath the foil hats and flying-saucer decorations sits a warm idea: welcoming the stranger and embracing what is unfamiliar. The day encourages curiosity, hospitality, and a sense of playful imagination that brings families and friends together. It is also a fond annual reminder of Robin Williams and the comic magic he brought to the role of Mork, proving that even the silliest holidays can carry a little heart.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Invite an Alien to Live with You Day?
It is an unofficial, light-hearted holiday celebrating friendly extraterrestrials and science fiction, inspired by the sitcom “Mork & Mindy”. People mark it with alien-themed parties, costumes, and film marathons.
When is Invite an Alien to Live with You Day in 2026?
It takes place on Tuesday, 21 July 2026. The date is fixed and falls on 21 July every year.
Why is it celebrated on 21 July?
The date was chosen because it is the birthday of Robin Williams, who was born on 21 July 1951 and played the alien Mork, television’s most famous extraterrestrial house guest.
Spread the Word
Join the celebration and share your best alien costumes, decorations, and “house guest from Ork” photos on social media with #InviteAnAlienToLiveWithYouDay and #InviteAnAlienToLiveWithYouDay2026. Tag your friends and challenge them to take part!
Related Awareness Days
- World UFO Day – Observed on 2 July, this day celebrates unidentified flying objects and the enduring fascination with life beyond Earth.
- World Space Week – A celebration of space science and exploration that captures the same sense of cosmic wonder.
- International Day of Human Space Flight – Marks humanity’s first journey into space and our ongoing reach towards the stars.
Links
- Visit the Days of the Year page for Invite an Alien to Live with You Day
- Explore more awareness days at AwarenessDays.com
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