National Felt Hat Day

From ancient history all the way up to the 20th century, hats have played an incredibly important role in fashion and attire – arguably much more so than in recent years. While hats and head coverings have been made from all sorts of different materials over the years, including straw and cotton, this day is dedicated to a specific hat – one that is made from felt. 

History of National Felt Hat Day

As far back as the 15th century, felt has been a common material for hats. The concept of making a felt out of wool or animal pelts and shaping it into headwear seems to have gotten its start in Normandy, France eventually making its way through Belgium and to London, England. By the 19th and early 20th centuries, felt hats had become a standard, especially for men to wear outdoors.

National Felt Hat Day encourages everyone to don a felt hat in tribute to this historically significant, but now somewhat neglected accessory. It’s time to bring the popularity of the felt hat back by celebrating and honoring this important day!

Folks who are looking for other reasons to celebrate the beauty of head coverings all throughout the year might enjoy participating in National Hat Day in January, Wear a Hat Day in March or National Straw Hat Day in May. 

How to Celebrate National Felt Hat Day

Show some love for the hatmakers of the world while observing National Felt Hat Day! Celebrate the day with some of these fun and hat-filled ideas: 

Wear a Felt Hat

Get on board and celebrate National Felt Hat Day by popping a felt hat on your head. Try a felted fedora, a cowboy hat, a fez, a derby hat or even a felt beret. Whatever the style, color, shape or fashion, just be sure it’s a hat that is made out of felt in keeping with the day!

Throw a National Felt Hat Day Party

Gather friends, family or coworkers around to celebrate this delightful day by hosting a party for National Felt Hat Day. Invite guests to wear their own felt hat to the party. Decorate with a hat theme using hats purchased at a costume shop or a party store. And don’t forget to create fun snacks along the theme, like sugar cookies cut out into hat shapes or turning a hat into a bowl full of dip!

Have some fun with the playlist for the party by choosing songs that go along with a hat theme, such as Phil Colllins’ classic song Wear My Hat, Big Hat No Cattle by Randy Newman, or Joe Cocker’s tune You Can Leave Your Hat On.

Learn More About the ‘Mad Hatter’

While many people only think about the Mad Hatter as a character from the beloved tales of Alice in Wonderland, the concept of a hatmaker who has lost their mind is actually not completely made up. In fact, for several hundred years, the mercury nitrate that was used to create felt for hatmaking was actually poisoning these creative hatmakers, causing them to have many symptoms such as confusion, emotional instability and hallucinations. It wasn’t until the 1940s that the use of this dangerous substance was completely banned.