National Sasquatch Awareness Day
October 20
About National Sasquatch Awareness Day
National Sasquatch Awareness Day falls on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, marking the anniversary of the famous 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film. It is a light-hearted observance that celebrates Bigfoot folklore, bringing together believers, sceptics, and the simply curious to enjoy one of North America’s most enduring mysteries.
How to Celebrate National Sasquatch Awareness Day
This is a day made for getting outdoors, having fun, and embracing a bit of mystery. Here are plenty of ways to join in.
- Watch the Patterson-Gimlin film – The grainy one-minute clip recorded on 20 October 1967 is the reason the date exists. Settle in, watch it frame by frame, and form your own opinion about the figure striding through Bluff Creek.
- Take a Sasquatch-themed forest walk – Head into the woods with friends or family and keep an eye out for oversized footprints, broken branches, and mysterious sounds. The Pacific Northwest is the spiritual home of the legend, but any forest will do.
- Host a Bigfoot documentary watch party – There is no shortage of cryptid documentaries and series to choose from. Invite a few friends round, supply the snacks, and debate the evidence into the night.
- Tune into a themed ham radio broadcast – Amateur radio operators mark the occasion each October with special call signs and Sasquatch-themed broadcasts, making it a favourite among the radio community.
- Visit a Bigfoot festival or museum – Communities across the United States host Bigfoot events, from the West Virginia Bigfoot Festival to Bigfoot Days in Remer, Minnesota. Willow Creek in California, the self-proclaimed “Bigfoot Capital of the World”, is a pilgrimage of sorts.
- Get creative with crafts and costumes – Make plaster casts of “footprints”, draw your own Sasquatch sketches, or dress up. It is a brilliant activity for children who love a good monster story.
- Share your own sighting story – Whether it is a genuinely strange experience or a tall tale spun for laughs, online forums and social media light up with accounts on 20 October. Post yours and read what others have seen.
- Read up on the folklore – Dig into the history of Sasquatch in Indigenous traditions and modern pop culture. The legend is far older and richer than the 1967 film alone.
What is National Sasquatch Awareness Day?
National Sasquatch Awareness Day is an unofficial, fun observance dedicated to Sasquatch, the large, hairy, ape-like creature better known as Bigfoot and said to roam the forests of North America. The day celebrates the mystery, the folklore, and the community of enthusiasts who keep the legend alive. It does not demand scientific proof or insist on belief. Instead, it welcomes everyone, from die-hard believers to amused sceptics, to take part in the storytelling and curiosity that surround one of the continent’s most famous cryptids.
When is National Sasquatch Awareness Day?
National Sasquatch Awareness Day takes place every year on 20 October. In 2026, that falls on a Tuesday. The date is fixed and never changes, because it was deliberately chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the Patterson-Gimlin film, recorded on 20 October 1967 in northern California.
The History of National Sasquatch Awareness Day
The story of the day begins with a single piece of footage. On 20 October 1967, Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin recorded roughly one minute of film along Bluff Creek, just outside Willow Creek in the Six Rivers National Forest of northern California. The clip appears to show a tall, dark, bipedal figure walking away from the camera before glancing back over its shoulder. Blurry and brief, it became the single most recognised piece of supposed Bigfoot evidence in history. The press seized on it, the public was fascinated, and the scientific community largely dismissed it, but the footage never faded from view.
More than four decades later, in 2009, that anniversary inspired an awareness day. A petition was launched on Change.org calling for 20 October to be recognised as National Sasquatch Awareness Day, with the date chosen precisely to honour the Patterson-Gimlin film. The campaign was a grassroots effort rather than an official government initiative, and early support was modest. Yet, much like the legend itself, the idea refused to disappear.
Over the following years the observance gathered momentum through online communities, cryptid enthusiast groups, and media outlets that ran features each October. Today it is marked informally across the United States and beyond, with no central organising body but plenty of enthusiastic participants. Its slow, organic growth is fitting for a day devoted to a creature that has spent decades just out of clear view. If you enjoy quirky calendar moments like this, you might also like other Fun and Quirky Awareness Days that celebrate the wonderfully offbeat.
Fun Facts About National Sasquatch Awareness Day
- The date, 20 October, was chosen to match the exact anniversary of the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film.
- The footage was shot near Willow Creek, California, a town that proudly calls itself the “Bigfoot Capital of the World”.
- There have been more than 10,000 reported Bigfoot sightings across the continental United States, with roughly one-third concentrated in the Pacific Northwest.
- Sasquatch is typically described as standing anywhere from 6 to 15 feet tall, often accompanied by a powerful foul smell.
- Willow Creek’s Chamber of Commerce has hosted an annual “Bigfoot Daze” festival since the 1960s, predating the awareness day by decades.
- Amateur radio operators mark the day with special themed broadcasts each year in mid-October.
Why National Sasquatch Awareness Day Matters
Beyond the fun, the day taps into something genuinely valuable: a sense of wonder. It encourages people to step away from screens, head into nature, and engage with local folklore and community traditions. Bigfoot festivals support small-town economies and bring people together, while the legend itself is woven into Indigenous storytelling and regional identity across North America. At its heart, National Sasquatch Awareness Day is a celebration of curiosity and the enduring human love of a good mystery.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is National Sasquatch Awareness Day?
It is an unofficial, fun observance celebrating Sasquatch, or Bigfoot, the legendary creature said to live in North America’s forests. It honours the folklore and the community of enthusiasts who keep the legend alive, welcoming believers and sceptics alike.
When is National Sasquatch Awareness Day in 2026?
It takes place on Tuesday, 20 October 2026. The date is fixed every year to mark the anniversary of the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film.
Why is National Sasquatch Awareness Day on 20 October?
The date commemorates 20 October 1967, the day Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin recorded their famous one-minute film of a suspected Sasquatch at Bluff Creek in northern California. A 2009 Change.org petition proposed the date specifically for this reason.
Spread the Word
Join the celebration and share your best Bigfoot sighting stories, forest photos, and footprint casts on social media with #NationalSasquatchAwarenessDay and #NationalSasquatchAwarenessDay2026. Tag your friends and challenge them to take a walk on the wild side!
Related Awareness Days
- World Wildlife Day – A day celebrating the planet’s wild creatures, real ones this time, and the need to protect their forest habitats.
- National Camping Month – Perfect for anyone inspired to head into the woods in search of adventure and a touch of mystery.
- Halloween – Falling just days later on 31 October, it shares the same spooky, folklore-loving spirit as Sasquatch Awareness Day.
Links
Featured image: Photo by Dave Hoefler on Unsplash.
2026 Awareness Days Wall Planner
Every key awareness day at a glance. Perfect for offices, staff rooms, and team planning.
View Calendar →
