Although shoes do a commendable job of protecting our feet while looking stylish at the same time, sometimes you just want to kick off your shoes and enjoy the feeling of being barefoot. Normally, day-to-day life doesn’t allow this to happen very often, but there is one day when people can shed their shoes and go barefoot.

That holiday is National Go Barefoot Day, and it’s observed on the 1st of June every year. It’s the perfect holiday to go footloose and fancy-free throughout the day and do it without being burdened with putting on socks and shoes.

The History of National Go Barefoot Day

Even though this holiday has since become a reason for people to shed their shoes, it has an origin story that’s a little more serious. This holiday was created in 2004 by Soles4Souls—a global charity organization that provides new shoes for children in need. Therefore, the real reason this holiday is observed is to encourage people to donate shoes to those in need.

Observing National Go Barefoot Day

Giving a pair of new or slightly used shoes to people in need or to organizations that help people in need is a great way to observe this holiday. This is also a good day to take off your own shoes and go barefoot through the grass.

Another way to observe this holiday is to use the hashtag #NationalGoBarefootDay on social media to spread the word about this holiday as well as the joys of going barefoot.