Observed on the first Saturday in September, National Tailgating Day is a holiday that encourages sports fans to attend tailgate parties. Tailgate parties are social gatherings where people barbecue burgers, hot dogs, and brats, and spend time socializing and enjoying each other’s company. So if you have a favorite team and want to throw a tailgate party, then this holiday is the perfect day to do it.

The History of National Tailgating Day

This holiday was founded in 2016 by Luke Lorick. Mr. Lorick is the president of the Tailgating Challenge and started this holiday as a way to share his love of tailgate parties.

Interesting Facts About Tailgating

Are you looking for a deep dive into some tailgating trivia that you can share with your friends and family on this day? If you answered yes, then we have some interesting nuggets of trivia about tailgating that we think you’re going to enjoy. Let’s take a quick look at them before we head on to observing National Tailgating Day.

The First Tailgating Party

If you look on the internet, you’ll find a lot of different people and organizations claiming that they invented the tailgating party. However, we feel that most of them are dead wrong. We think that the first tailgate party was invented by the Romans. They would have elaborate parties after chariot races, and some of these parties were held right from the back of the chariots. We think that qualifies the Romans as the first-ever tailgaters.

Tailgating Was a Thing During the Civil War, Too

At the Battle of Bull Run in 1861, Union Army supporters showed up with carriages of food and drink for the soldiers. At this event, bets were placed, food was served, and drinks were had. Sounds like a tailgating party to us.

Tailgating Food Varies From One Location to Another

If you think that burgers and brats are the standard tailgating fare, then you might want to think again. These two items can be commonly found at most tailgating parties, but some tailgaters might serve additional food items relative to the area where they live. For example, in the state of Louisiana, a tailgating party might serve cracklins, gumbo, or jambalaya. In Columbus, Ohio, chicken wings, fish and chips, and mashed potatoes might be served. In St. Louis, Missouri, tailgaters might serve BBQ pork steaks, toasted ravioli, or thin-crust pizza.

Observing National Tailgating Day

National Tailgating Day is simple enough to celebrate. All you have to do is start a tailgate party or attend one with your friends and family. While you’re tailgating, make sure that you use the hashtag #NationalTailgatingDay to spread the word about this holiday.