This was Towel Day 2023



Three intergalactic hitchhikers in Florida, USA, on Towel Day 2023
Picture submitted by Elizabeth Mackenzie


Winner of the 2023 Towel Day Ambassador Contest was author and Douglas Adams expert Yvette Keller. A great choice!

Yvette Keller, 2023 Towel Day Ambassador


Helping her to bring knowledge of the Douglas Adams' works to all the lands throughout the year were Regional Towel Day Ambassadors - Carol, Perkeo, Anna and David.



ONLINE EVENTS

  • Winner of the 2023 Towel Day Ambassador Contest was author and Douglas Adams expert Yvette Keller. She is cut out for the role of Towel Day Ambassador! She will be representing Earth on May 25th at the Intergalactic Pandimensional Towel Day Gala.
    Helping her to bring knowledge of the Douglas Adams' works to all the lands throughout the year will be the Regional Towel Day Ambassadors - Carol, Perkeo, Anna and David. Thanks to all the contestants and all that have voted!
    Watch Yvette's winning video here
  • Colin Reynolds will publish his fourth annual HHGTTG trivia quiz. The link will become active on Towel Day 2023!
  • Takeshi's Cashew, a psychedelic cosmofunk band, has a new track called Happy Towel Day. It's on their new album Enter J's Chamber. The band is currently touring in Europe. They're on Instagram and Facebook.
  • One week BEFORE Towel Day, on 18 May, IT company Device42 (notice the 42 in their company name) presents their annual event for IT froods, with gifts for attendees. It's called "The Lost Chapter of the Hitchhiker's Guide to IT: 5 Secret Gems Discovered!" "Grab your towel, hitch a ride on the nearest Vogon spaceship, and join us for an unforgettable journey through the galaxy of IT management. While we may not be able to fully discover the answers to life, the universe, and everything in-between—we will take a step closer to answering everything to IT. All attendees will have a chance to win prizes in our trivia game at the end of each session! First place winners will receive the next-generation reMarkable 2 paper tablet, and all top 10 finishers will receive exclusive Device42 Microfiber Golf Towels!"
    Register here
  • On travelo.hu a post about Towel Day appeared: Ezért láthatsz holnap t&oumk;rülközös embereket szokatlan helyeken (this is why you may see people carrying towels in unusual places tomorrow).
  • The magazine of the Finnish Engineers Association published "About towels and the meaning of life", by Tommi Grönholm, organizational leader of the Engineers' Association.
  • Daniel Sondström read from the book (in Swedish) in his postcast.
  • Branky Pop created a collection of 42 NFTs of Froods who really know where their towel is. It is a free mint and will be open for minting starting 25 May on Zora
  • The G(eek) Spot podcast devoted a 42 minute episode to Towel Day.
  • MacWelt published "Macwelt am Morgen: 25.5.23 – Immer das Handtuch dabei", a piece by deputy editor-in-chief Peter Müller.
  • Writer and comedy expert Rhianna Evans auctioned a handmade pouch for Save the Rhino, Douglas Adams' favourite charity. It featured a sperm whale, a bowl of petunias and the number 42.
  • Geocaching's official blog featured a little Towel Day post.
  • Kedar Anil Gadgil wrote a philosphical post titled "Towel Day 2023"
  • Pan Macmillan mentioned Towel Day in a tweet about the new audiobook of Startship Titanic, voiced by Bill Nighy.
  • The UK's National Space Center tweeted several Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy quotes.
  • Space.com tweeted about Towel Day and posted "Today is Towel Day! Salute the legacy of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' author Douglas Adams".
  • On Towel Day you get a FREE Heart of Gold Motel Keyring if you order BOTH sets of Don't Panic pins at Candydollclub.com (use the drop down menu). They ship planetwide from the Isle of Man.
  • You can win the upcoming new book on Douglas Adams by Kevin Jon Davies. And a towel. Details on Facebook and Twitter
  • The British Comedy Guide published the brilliant article "Exploring The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy film" by Rhianna Evans.



LOCAL EVENTS


AUSTRALIA

  • In Perth, the observatory hosts a Towel Day Night Tour! Bring your towel and come to the Perth Observatory for an unforgettable night. Our volunteers will be ready to take you on a grand tour of the Southern Hemisphere's sky with a wide range of targets including nebulae, planets, dying stars, and enormous star clusters. As Douglas Adams wrote, a towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. And on this night, your towel can be used to wave in emergencies as a distress signal or dry yourself off after exploring our amazing night sky through our telescopes. Don't forget to dress up as your favourite Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy character and you might win a great prize. This is a night not to be missed, so come along to the Perth Observatory and discover the wonders of the universe. Book your tickets now!
    RSVP and details on Facebook
  • In Adelaide, South Australia, Spoken Word SA presents "Vogon Poetry Night - Bring Your Worst!". Usually they are proud to highlight and support some of the best poetry in the country... but now, for one night only, they want to see your WORST! Poets will have one minute to perform the most awful poetry they can create. Use your worst metaphors, your tackiest rhymes, your most unsettling imagery, your most off-putting descriptions... whatever it takes to make everyone cringe and squirm! Have some fun with this one: Jeer, laugh, heckle, and leave your competitive instincts aside for the night. Prizes will be arbitrary and low-stakes, and standard slam rules do NOT apply. Note: Any content that includes bigotry is not welcome. We want bad poetry, but NOT bad messages. Yes, even if you mean it as a joke. Tickets are $8.
    Details and RSVP on Facebook
AUSTRIA
  • In Wolfurt, at 20:30 Philipp Horatschek and ACHNUS Film celebrate Towel Day in the ACHNUS Film MovieLounge (Fattweg 7). All life forms (and cosplayers) are welcome. Come and perhaps win a prize for the most beautiful towel, drink beer and eat peanuts, and chat about English SF and Douglas Adams in particular. Take your towel and come join them!
    RSVP and details on Facebook and on the Austrian Towel Day site
BANGLADESH
  • In Bangladesh, Shadhinalo published a brief explanation about Towel Day.
  • Songbadprokash also had a Towel Day piece.
BRAZIL
  • In Belo Hoizonte (State: Minas Gerais), from 17:00 until 21:00 there will be a Happy Hour with special drinks (including of course Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters) and a themed menu. There will be Trivia, a Cosplay Contest, Vogon Poetry reading and a lot of giveaways. Attendance is 100% free and everyone is welcome. Place: Taboca Restaurant - Rua Goiás n 14, Centro - City: Belo Horizonte - State: Minas Gerais - Brazil. More details on Instagram
  • In Olinda, state of Pernambuco, on 20 and 21 May, Power Kon presents the 10th anniversary edition of their Towel and Nerd Pride Day. Doors of the Pernambuco Convention Center open at 11:00 and close at 22:00. They promise more than 50 attractions, stands from all over Brazil, special guests, game arena, food court, cosplay and Kpop performances, and much more. So take your towel and head over there! Get your tickets here
    Venue: Pernambuco Convention Center. Av. Prof. Andrade Bezerra, s/n - Salgadinho, Olinda - PE, 53110-680. Sector A and Brum Auditorium.
    More details on Facebook and Instagram
CZECH REPUBLIC DENMARK
  • In Copenhagen, at 12.00 there will be an event at the bathing facility "Bølgen" at Kalvebod Brygge, where the towel will be brought to good practical use for a swim in the nice weather. It is meant for carbon based life forms, but they don't discriminate as long as a towel is worn with the intention to celebrate.
  • Also in Copenhagen at 16:15 there is a get-together in Fælledparken: "join us with a towel and good cheer. We'll be listening to some of the original radio show (In English though the version of DR is hilarious) and celebrate the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Life, the Universe and Everything.". Details and RSVP on Facebook
FINLAND
  • In Turku, Towel Day will again be celebrated at Cosmic Comic Cafe (Kauppiaskatu 4, Turku. The main programme consists of multidimensionally horrible poetry recitations. Unlike almost everywhere else, it's not a competition. Whatever you churn out, they read, immediately, without any filtering. Theirs may be the oldest ongoing bad poetry night on Towel Day: they started in 2006. While the universe is being gently destroyed by horrible poetry, troubadour Kiero plays improvised harp music in the background. While waiting for Towel Day, they've already started publishing last year's poems from the archive on their website. You can already send your own poems to be read at the event by mailing them to pyyhepaiva@pyyhepaiva.fi
    Details and RSVP on Facebook: event, page
  • The magazine of the Finnish Engineers Association published "About towels and the meaning of life", by Tommi Grönholm, organizational leader of the Engineers' Association.
GERMANY
  • In Lüneburg, at 19:42, actor and director Thomas Ney will continue his public reading of Douglas Adams' work (in German). Where: mosaique - Haus der Kulturen, Katzenstr. 1, D-21335 Lüneburg.
  • In Hamburg on 24, 25, 26, 26 and 28 May, theatre "Das Zimmer" presents "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" as a play and in June there will even be the sequel "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe". Tickets and more information here
  • In Hamburg at PON - Platz ohne Namen, Towel Day celebrations will start at 18:42. Every life form is welcome to share some Pangalactic Gargle Blasters, listen to readings, get scientific enlightments, eat 42 peanuts & all the rest. They still accept submissions in the form of more Adams readings, Vogon poems, towel origami, intergalactic lectures & planetary workshops, please contact them via their webpage. Things are going to happen if you make them happen. Bring your towel, a lawn chair and don't panic!
  • In Kiel, you get free entry at the Mediendom if you bring your towel on Towel Day!
  • In Oberkochen, on the occasion of Towel Day, the Deutsche Initiative Mountainbike Ostwürttemberg will take a mountainbike ride on the brand new planets trail in Oberkochen Germany! Anyone is welcome to participate! Here is their Facebook page and the national DIMB website
  • In Verden, Niedersachsen, local geocachers will gather at 17:00 to get the holy French Fries. And show off their favorite towels. RSVP and details on Geocaching.com
  • In Berlin at 20:00 Towel Day is celebrated at C-base, a non-profit association for learning about software, hardware and networks. This tradition has been going on for over a decade now. Once again there it involves a Space drink mixing contest, aboard the crashed space station. The event will be mostly in German. Details here.
  • In Stuttgart, on Towel Day you get free entry to the planetarium if you carry a towel.
  • MacWelt published "Macwelt am Morgen: 25.5.23 – Immer das Handtuch dabei", a piece by deputy editor-in-chief Peter Müller.
  • Workers union Wehr.di posted about Towel Day and what towels have to do with the workers union.
HUNGARY INDIA
  • In Vasant Vihar (Delhi), Douglas Adams and his greatest masterpiece are celebrated by Project Bibliotherapy and Pan MacMillan India at Kunzum Bookstore.
    The project wants to nudge folks to build a better reading habit and is run by two lifelong readers who are huge fans of DNA.
    Here's the plan of action from 6pm IST onwards - provided the Vogons avoid Earth next Thursday afternoon:
    1. An introduction to Project Bibliotherapy and our global community, the Readers of 42
    2. An enactment from the OG radio play
    3. Vogon Poetry Contest (earplugs not provided)
    4. A Guided Reading Meditation where we will be reading from some of the articles linked out in the DNA 42 zine launched on Towel Day '22. (check out last year's celebrations and download the PDF version)
    5. A trivia quiz, followed by Q&A + informal interactions extolling DNA's life, the universe, and everything. (enjoy some DNA trivia)
    6. Surprise goodies are up for grabs, along with great discounts at Kunzum Bookstore.
    Keep your towel at hand and RSVP here
    The announcement posts on Instagram are here and here. Please Share and Enjoy (tm)
  • The Hindustan Times mentioned Towel Day: "Towel Day is May 25. Douglas Adams fans worldwide will openly carry one to honour the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. A towel, Adams says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. In sweaty May, we concur."
  • Tims Now font color="#00ff00">had a "Happy Towel Day" item, with 7 iconic towel scenes from Bollywood, by Nairita Mukherjee.
  • The Economic Times published Celebrating International Towel Day 2023: A Tribute to Douglas Adams.
  • Pan Macmillan India tweeted about Towel Day
IRELAND
  • Qaoi Woo is looking for froods who want to read (we presume) the part of characters from the fifth episode of the Guide on 21 May in Tipperary, Ireland. For details, check his post or contact him
ITALY NETHERLANDS
  • In Rotterdam, from 17:40-23:40, fans of Douglas Adams and/or Terry Pratchett are welcome at Cafe Pardoen, Spaansekade 62. Bring a towel, wear the lilac. In honour of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. Rotterdam Editie The 8th Edition will feature: Pangalactic Gargleblasters, Vogon Poetry Contest, Dwarfish Battle Bread Battle, Elvish Impersonation Contest, Dirk Gently's Holistic Treasure Hunt and much, much more! Prizes galore!" Details and RSVP on Facebook
  • Q42, a Dutch company that works on apps, websites, connected devices, games and VR, continues its tradition of giving away cool towels. Instructions on how to win one can be found here.
POLAND
  • In Mikołów, Śląskie, there's a geocaaching event, but all geeks are cordially invited, in celeration of Towel Day from 18:42 until 19:42 on Mikołów market.
    Bringing a towel or several is a good idea and if someone wants to perform in a bathrobe...They will try to form the longest/biggest towel carpet on the market place. In addition to towels, the organister suggests to bring a chair, so everyone can sit in a circle, with their feet on the towel carpet, while they read together the next chapter/chapters of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". There will be all the time access to the logbook. A commemmorative picture will be taken at 19:00. The end will probably be after 42 minutes. The programme could change and in case of bad weather The time and length of individual parts of the meeting may change. In case of inclement weather, they will find a place somewhere in an "ajnfarcie".
    Details on Geocaching.com
RUSSIA SINGAPORE
  • On Sunday 28 May, the Irish Graduates Association of Singapore and Mensa Singapore are holding a geek quiz to celebrate Geek Pride and Towel Day. Sign up now, ticket sale is ending soon!
SWEDEN SWITZERLAND
  • Froods at Genedata's HQ in Basel will have a short Towel Day meet-up for interested staff over lunch break, to discuss life, the universe and everything, read Vogon poetry in different languages, etc.
UKRAINE
  • The Stepana Vasylchenka library elaborates about Towel Day in the description of the YouTube video about their exposition of embroidered towels "Ukrainian colorful towel stretches its wings into the distance", that runs fron 22 until 31 May. They mention a special role of towels in Ukraine. Their country has somehow been scheduled for demolition, but they know where their towels are and are having none of it. We wish them peace and safety!
UNITED KINGDOM
  • In Manchester from 19:00 to 20:00 you can attend the Douglas Adams Towel Day Special "We Apologize For The Inconvenience". It's a play about DOUGLAS ADAMS and his trusty DUCK battling deadlines, trapped in a hotel room... You loved this play. It set Edinburgh alight in 2019, it was performed up and down the land culminating in a triumphant performance for the Hitchhiker's faithful at the British Library in Feb 2020. And then, well Covid, life the Universe etc contrived to prevent performing this five star rated play... UNTIL NOW! Come celebrate 40 years of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for TWO NIGHTS only in Manchester city centre before they hopefully set sail on tour of the outer rim later this year. As it's Towel Day, they have a couple of nice surprises planned. Do stay tuned for details on twitter @5064productions
    Plot: "It's 1984 and Douglas Adams's editor has locked him in a hotel room in a desperate attempt to get the reluctant author to finish the 4th book in his popular Hitchhiker's Guide trilogy. Notoriously bad with deadlines, Adams is far too busy distracting himself with Life, the Universe and Anything Else Apart From Writing to care, including reflections on his failed Hollywood career, PG Wodehouse, evolution, his relationship with the Pythons and the fine art of tea-making. Will he make the deadline? (Clue: no.) Oh, and there's a talking duck in it."
    Starring Adam Gardiner as DOUGLAS ADAMS, Rob Hudson as THE DUCK and Jim Burke as THE NARRATOR. Written by Mark Griffiths, Directed by Ross Kelly and Produced by Gareth Kavanagh and Matt Charlton. Animation by Andrew Orton, with an original score by Paul Philips. get your tickets NOW!
  • In Eastcheap, not too far from London, David Learner, who played Marvin in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, will read the Guide cover to cover and collect money for Save the Rhino, one of Douglas Adams' favourite charities. Details on Twitter
  • A WEEK BEFORE TOWEL DAY, On 18 May in London the 16th Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture takes place at the Royal Geographic Society. And in case you can't attend: it will be livestreamed. This tribute to Douglas Adams combines science and comedy, and benefits Save the Rhino International, a charity of which he was a founding patron. Professor Jim Al-Khalili will share his perspective on the nature of infinity, time and space, giving answers to the questions many people want to know, but have been too afraid to ask. In addition to his academic work, he has written 14 books on popular science and the history of science, presents TV science documentaries, and is the host of the long-running weekly BBC Radio 4 programme, The Life Scientific. John Lloyd will be reading from the hilarious The Meaning of Liff, a book that he co-wrote with Douglas Adams, whilst reflecting on his life and career in his trademark witty yet insightful style. Lloyd is best known for starting The News Quiz, To The Manor Born, Not the Nine O'Clock News, Spitting Image, Blackadder, and QI. He also co-wrote the last two episodes of the first series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy with Douglas, and brought the show to television. He currently hosts BBC Radio 4's The Museum of Curiosity. The audience will also hear from Jon Taylor, Managing Director of Save the Rhino International, who will provide insight into the world of rhino conservation. The evening will be hosted by writer, comedian, and serial Douglas's fan Rachel Wheeley. Get your tickets for the lecture or for the livestream
    RSVP on Facebook
    All proceeds will go towards Save the Rhino International's work.
  • Pan Macmillan mentioned Towel Day in a tweet about the new audiobook of Startship Titanic, voiced by Bill Nighy.
  • Tellyspotting ran Celebrate International Towel Day 2023! Most of all... Don't Panic!, by Bill Young.
  • The Evening Standard published Towel Day 2023: The Hitchhiker'bs Guide to the Galaxy fans celebrate Douglas Adams, by Seren Morris.
  • The UK's National Space Center tweeted several Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy quotes.
UNITED STATES
  • In Santa Barbara, CA, The Book Den Independent Bookstore (15 E Anapamu St) and Towel Day Ambassador 2023 Yvette Keller will host a series of Towel Day activities from 4:30 - 6pm:
    • Vogon Poetry Reading (bring your own bad poetry to rival a Vogon!)
    • Froodiest Towel Contest
    • Character Costume Show
    Towels and costumes are admired, but not required. Douglas Adams' London Guides will be available to purchase, or if you already have a copy, bring it! Yvette will sign your copy or really, anything you want her signature on (no contracts, deeds, or body parts considered indecent exposure).
    If you're lucky, Yvette will read to you from the guide, before throwing you out of an airlock.
  • The Santa Barbara independent announced Ambassador Keller's initiative in "Towel Day: The Annual Celebration of Douglas Adams"
  • In Lincoln, NE, from 15-26 May, software engineering company Don't Panic Labs runs their annual towel drive. They collect new and used towels for the People's City Mission, that has a constant need for towels. Towels are collected in numerous locations that are listed on their website, and financial contributions for towels are also accepted.
    The company's name was inspired by Adams' best-known novel, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, where the words "Don't Panic" are printed on the cover of the Guide.
    A list of sites where you can bring towels will appear at the bottom of this page
  • In Cambridge, MA, Pandemonium Books and Games in Central Sq. are holding a Towel Day towels and toiletries drive for a local transition house! Hold on to your towel, and bring an extra for someone who might be missing theirs. In honor of Douglas Adams, May 25 through the weekend they will be celebrating Towel Day in Central sq. Cambridge. Come be a totally hoopy frood and donate some of those things that someone with a towel may have misplaced; a toothbrush, washcloth, soap, sheets, laundry detergent, cooking pans, silverware, or diapers (for the littlest hitchhikers). Donations will be given to Transition House around the corner from the store. Please no hotel sized donations.
  • In Wilkesboro, NE, Wilkes County Public Library is celebrating Towel Day all day! Stop in for a photo booth, crafts & a special appearance from a particular Paranoid Android! They're also running a Towel Donation Drive for the Catherine H. Barber Memorial Shelter all May long! Supplies needed are: new bath towels, new hand towels, new washcloths, new bed pillows.
    Details here$
  • In Bozeman, MT, New Ventures Brewing releases a beer for Towel Day called "42" (ABV 4.2% and IBU 42). On their Instagram page you can win a really cool sticker by submitting a clever question that 42 is the answer to.
  • In Newton Falls, OH, Towel Day is celebrated from 2:30pm at the public library (204, South Canal Street). They will screen the 2005 Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy movie at 3:00 and 5:30. There will also be activities throughout the day which will include a Towel Dday coloring page, word search, book mark and more. They will also host a few contests for "DON'T PANIC" towels and tote bags. Details here
  • In Middleton, CT, from 19:00, you can taste a non-alcoholic version of the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster at Back Again Board Game Cafe (484 Main St #11). Details here
  • FOX 17 tweeted about Towel Day.




Featured video: Mostly Harmless - a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy cocktail for Towel Day, by Angrycocktails


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