The 1980s have been revived again thanks to everyone’s newfound fascination for it. This trend of 80s nostalgia is likely a part of the “30-Year Nostalgia Cycle” theory. According to this theory, anything that was popular 30 years ago will once again become popular again. That’s why The Wonder Years, a show devoted to 1960s nostalgia, became popular during the 1990s, and why the 1970s movie Star Wars was a play on science fiction serials of the 1940s.

And it’s why there’s so much 1980s nostalgia that can be found in current pop culture. This isn’t all that surprising considering that many of the people making our current media have their own nostalgia for the 80s, either because it was the decade of their childhood, or they had always been fascinated by it. And let’s face facts, our current media is observed with the 1980s.

There are remakes of genre properties such as Ghost Busters Afterlife (2021) and IT, (2017) and shows such as Stranger Things, Robot Chicken, and Rick and Morty that have brought 1980s pop culture references back into the popular lexicon. It also shouldn’t be surprising that we too have been caught up in the 1980s craze. I mean, how could we not?

Movies such as Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023), Top Gun Maverick, and Hellraiser (2022) have been released, and there are talks of movies such as Escape from New York, Highlander, and even The Toxic Avenger being released very soon. That’s why we decided that we might as well jump in on the 80s pop culture craze and do an article about the holidays this year that people can enjoy to get that sweet, 80s buzz. Now that we’ve set this article up, let’s Veg Out and enjoy the following holidays together. What do you say?

National Handwriting Day (January 23rd)

Let’s be honest here. Handwriting isn’t something that many of us have had to use in a very long time. That’s why schools all across the U.S. are beginning to drop their handwriting courses. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, however, handwriting was a big deal. I know because my handwriting was so bad that I had to take an extra handwriting class in 1982.

Yep, I had to spend an extra hour trying to make my handwriting legible. Something that never really happened. Now, I can’t remember the last time I even picked up a pen or pencil to write a letter. Almost everything I do is now on the computer keyboard or on my phone. So National Handwriting Day is sure to be a holiday that brings back nostalgia for many people — including me.

National Retro Day (February 27th)

Even though this holiday can be used to celebrate any decade in the past, we’re going to say that this is the best holiday to embrace the 1970s and 1980s. On this day, people can spend time with their pet rock, listen to Hair Metal, or enjoy one of the many 1980s television shows. I was a fan of the A-Team, Bosom Buddies, The Greatest American Hero, and V: The Final Battle. Of course, there is no wrong way or right way to celebrate this day. It all depends on what makes you feel nostalgic.

Mario Day (March 10th)

Let’s face it, Mario never really did go away. People have been enjoying the Mario games since the 1980s almost non-stop as new ones have been produced regularly. And now there’s a new movie that celebrates this video game franchise: The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023).

At the moment that I’m writing this article, this movie has already made over $900,000,000. Yes, it’s getting close to having made almost a billion dollars, and likely by the time you’re reading this, it will have already exceeded that mark. Yes, that’s how popular Mario is and why everyone looking for that 80s buzz is going to want to observe this holiday.

National Eight Track Tape Day (April 11th)

Okay, 8-tracks were the most popular in the 1960s and 1970s, but by the time the early 80s came around, you could still find 8-track players in some vehicles. Unfortunately, this technology was phased out of retail stores in late 1982 and early 1983 as compact cassettes became more popular.

Columbia House and RCA did offer some 8-tracks through their Record Clubs up until 1988, by then, the popularity of the 8-track has come and gone. Even so, we can still celebrate this holiday. After all, 8-track players and tapes can easily be bought online through services such as eBay.

Star Wars Day (May 4th)

May the 4th be with you! That’s the way that Star Wars fans are going to be addressing each other on this holiday. Although the original Star Wars was released in 1978, the movie The Empire Strikes Back was released in 1980 and Return of the Jedi was released in 1983. And all through the 1980s, Star Wars memorabilia reigned. So anyone looking for a little bit of 1980s nostalgia only has to wield The Force to do so.

National Sea Monkey Day (May 16th)

Sea Monkeys were a pet that could be ordered from the back pages of comic books during the 1960s through the 1980s. However, they became the most popular during the late 1970s and early 1980s. These “pets” were basically just brine-shrimp eggs that you could hatch by adding to water, but people were fascinated by the ads that seemed to promise whole Sea Monkey communities developing in your fishbowl. While that didn’t happen, a lot of people did order these pets. And you know what? They still sell Sea Monkeys online for anyone who’s interested.

National VCR Day (June 7th)

It should be no surprise that the VCR was at the heart of 80s life. Just about everyone had one and most of these people would head out to their local Blockbuster or other video store to pick up new movie releases. There was nothing like browsing those aisles upon aisles of movies and selecting one that you think you might like. And you better be careful what movie you chose, because if it was no good you were stuck with it until you returned it. Oh, were those the days or what?

Pina Colada Day (July 10th)

If you like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain, then you might want to observe this holiday. This drink, as well as the song Escape by Rupert Holmes (also known as The Pina Colada Song), was popular during the 1980s. The song was released in 1979, so the drink was created sometime before that, I don’t exactly know when.

All I do know is that the Pina Colada was the most popular drink of the day. Followed by Long Island Ice Teas, Blue Hawaiians, Kamikaze, and Sex on the Beach cocktails. Personally, I liked a pint of Jack Daniels and a can of Coke, but maybe that’s just me. But I’m veering off point. The point is that this holiday is a good way to get your 80s groove on.

International Ninja Day (December 5th)

I debated whether or not to include this holiday on the list, and then I realized that I had to do it, even though this article was getting kind of long. That’s because the ninja craze in the 1980s was a real thing. So much so that I’m surprised it’s not represented in modern pop culture to the 80s.

There were television shows that included “The Master” (1985) starring Lee Van Cleef and Timothy Van Patten; and the animated series “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (1987). There was also the Ninja Trilogy that included Enter the Ninja, Revenge of the Ninja, and Ninja III: The Domination. And then there were the books by modern American ninja Stephen K. Hayes — a man who trained under Masaaki Hatsumi, the grandmaster of the Bujinkan in Japan. Master Hayes wrote a number of books, many of which I personally owned. So yes, this ninja holiday just adds to 80s nostalgia.