Sweetest Day 2024: When is Sweetest Day 2024 & 2025?

Below you can find dates of Sweetest Day 2024 and Sweetest Day 2025. In the table you can check how many days you have been on holiday, which week is the holiday and which day of the month.

When is ..? Date Day of the week Week Number Day left
Sweetest Day 2024 October 19, 2024 Saturday 42 215
Sweetest Day 2025 October 18, 2025 Saturday 42 579
Sweetest Day 2026 October 17, 2026 Saturday 42 943
Sweetest Day 2027 October 16, 2027 Saturday 41 1307
Sweetest Day 2028 October 21, 2028 Saturday 42 1678
Sweetest Day 2029 October 20, 2029 Saturday 42 2042
Sweetest Day 2030 October 19, 2030 Saturday 42 2406
Sweetest Day 2031 October 18, 2031 Saturday 42 2770
Sweetest Day 2032 October 16, 2032 Saturday 42 3134
Sweetest Day 2033 October 15, 2033 Saturday 41 3498
Sweetest Day 2034 October 21, 2034 Saturday 42 3869

Sweetest Day

Sweetest Day or National Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October by people of all ages. Although not a nationally recognized holiday, the Sweetest Day is a holiday celebrated in parts of the United States with the idea of giving small gifts such as candy and cards to loved ones. Just in time for its 100th Anniversary, National Sweetest Day encourages everyone to be generous even in the smallest ways.  From its inception as Candy Day in 1916, this day reminds us that even small tokens improve the lives of those around us who are suffering or going without.  While the day may have begun with candy and sweets, encouraging us to take home sweets to our sweethearts and friends, it is a day full of lessons in persistence, resilience and doing small things in greatly.  Over the years, Sweetest Day has evolved into a time to express romantic love and also to show appreciation to friends.

Sweetest Day Background

Sweetest Day began in Cleveland in 1922 when a man named Herbert Birch Kingston decided to bring a little happiness into the lives of orphans, shut-ins and others who were often forgotten. With the help of friends, he distributed candy and small gifts to Cleveland’s underprivileged. 

On the very first Sweetest Day, actress Ann Pennington, who starred in many films including 1925’s The Mad Dancer (in which she shocked the nation by appearing nude), presented 2,200 Cleveland newspaper boys with boxes of candy to express gratitude for their service to the public.

So, although Sweetest Day has its roots in random acts of kindness, we have somehow reduced its status to a second-rate Valentine’s Day. And that’s too bad, especially considering how fast it’s spreading.

Sweetest Day Celebrations

  • Sweetest Day is an observance celebrated primarily in the Great Lakes region, and parts of the Northeast United States, on the third Saturday in October. 
  • In fact, Sweetest Day (the third Saturday in October) is not a second Valentine’s Day. It has its own unique and rightful origins.
  • According to greeting card company American Greetings, people from Northeast Ohio are taking the holiday with them when they move, introducing it to communities all over the country.
  • Ohio is still the top state for Sweetest Day sales, followed by Michigan and Illinois. Even Texas, California and Florida are among the top ten. The holiday’s popularity is growing so fast that American Greetings and Hallmark now produce hundreds of different greeting card designs for Sweetest Day, compared to only a handful of versions in 2000.

Sweetest Day Customs and Traditions

  • The simplest way to celebrate Sweetest Day is to indulge your sweet-tooth and buy your favorite treat. An even better idea is to share it with someone who loves it as much as you do! Bring in a box of treats for your co-workers, or surprise your sweety with their favorite sugary indulgence.
  • If you’re feeling truly ambitious, you can coordinate with a local charity to help do a sweets drive to generate money for them. Candy is always a popular item for charity drives, and if you contact the creator of these confectionary delights you can probably get them at a heavily discounted price for use in charity drives.
  • Finally, you can just buy candy and distribute it like a reverse Halloween, handing out candy to friends, co-workers, and random people on the street to remind them to have the Sweetest Day of the year.

Sweetest Day Facts

  • Sweetest Day was actually founded by a candy company (coincidentally also headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio) in the spirit of philanthropy during the Great Depression.
  • Sweetest Day has traditionally been considered as a Midwestern holiday, but as residents move outside of the area or send greetings to non-resident friends and family, they spread this sentimental tradition. While Ohio, Michigan and Illinois remain the top states for Sweetest Day sales, Texas, California and Florida are now listed among the top ten states celebrating the holiday.
  • Sweetest Day 2019 traditions are similar to Valentine's Day in most locations, with the most popular gifts and acknowledgements being cards, flowers, chocolates and candy. Popular gifts exchanged on the day include cards, fresh flowers, chocolates and sweets. Additionally, people also complement these with other gifts of love to express affection and love. 
  • Although both Valentine’s Day and Sweetest Day focus on love, Sweetest Day is more about the platonic love that people have in their lives. It's about the friendships and relationships that tie us to each other but might not focus on romance. 
  • While Valentine's Day is celebrated internationally, Sweetest Day is solely in the Midwestern states. It's mainly in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, West Virginia, Missouri and Ohio, where it was founded.
  • Valentine's Day is one of the bright spots in the otherwise pretty bleak month of February. It's often referred to as a Hallmark holiday, but it doesn't change the fact that it gives people something to celebrate in the dead of winter after the holiday hoopla has died down. Sweetest Day, in contrast, takes place in October, weeks before Halloween.
  • It might not be celebrated across the U.S., but for those who know about Sweetest Day, it can be a big deal. According to Retail Confectioners International, a trade association made up of chocolate and candy makers, some of its members report that Sweetest Day candy sales are bigger than those for Mother’s Day. The cities of Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo are among the biggest Sweetest Day celebrators. 
  • On the very first Sweetest Day, actress Ann Pennington, who starred in many films including 1925’s The Mad Dancer (in which she shocked the nation by appearing nude), presented 2,200 Cleveland newspaper boys with boxes of candy to express gratitude for their service to the public.
  • Another popular actress, Theda Bara, who starred in over 40 films from 1915 to 1926, gave away 10,000 boxes of candy to patients in Cleveland hospitals and to those who came to watch her film in a local Cleveland theater.
  • So although Sweetest Day has its roots in random acts of kindness, we have somehow reduced its status to a second-rate Valentine’s Day. And that’s too bad, especially considering how fast it’s spreading.
  • Several candy manufacturers attempted to nationalize this holiday in some areas but it never really caught on nationally. However, it did catch on in several states including Indiana, parts of Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. It is celebrated by some people in Missouri, but not on a widespread basis. While it was spreading across the country though, it began to undergo somewhat of a metamorphosis. While originally started as a way to do something nice for the less fortunate, it ended up turning into a holiday in which couples give each other candy and act romantically towards each other.
  • Giving greeting cards is one way to celebrate this holiday. Hallmark began making The Sweetest Day cards during the 1960s and now they offer more than 70 different varieties for people to give to their loved ones. Another way to celebrate this holiday is to give sweets to your spouse or significant other. For those who want to honor the original intent of the holiday, sweets and toys can also be handed out to those in need.
  • According to Hallmark, 80 percent of the company's Sweetest Day cards have a “love” or “romance” theme. However, that doesn't mean those not romantically involved are left out. The card-maker's website states that it also makes cards to "express appreciation and gratitude for special people and sweethearts."
  • Exactly how you choose to celebrate (or not celebrate) Sweetest Day is obviously up to the individual, but Hallmark suggests giving your sweetie cards, photo frames, books or chocolates. And sticking with the traditional romantic gift, flowers are probably a safe bet as well. Think Valentine's Day, but in October.
  • It might not be celebrated across the U.S., but for those who know about Sweetest Day, it can be a big deal. Apparently a really, really big deal. According to Retail Confectioners International, a trade association made up of chocolate and candy makers, some of its members report that Sweetest Day candy sales are bigger than those for Mothers Day. The cities of Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo are among the biggest Sweetest Day celebrators. 

Sweetest Day Symbols

The gifts that were given early on for sweetest day were candy and flowers mostly, but then expanded to be any variety of treats.

The thought behind Sweetest Day is to spend the day doing kind things for those you love. That can take the form of a good deed or a favor, but most of the time, it ends up being gifts that are given. And what's a popular gift to give to show sweetness? Candy! Valentine's Day may have cornered the market on red roses and chocolate, but Sweetest Day is the day to give gummy bears and other sweet goodies.

Check out the Sweetest Day in the following years.