Everything You Need To Know About Father’s Day in 2023

Father’s Day is one of those holidays that’s easy to forget. It occurs sometime during the summer, typically after school lets out but before the Fourth of July. Oftentimes, the people we intend to acknowledge and uplift on this day don’t make much of a fuss leading up to the holiday, which may make you want to celebrate the holiday even more. So when is Father’s Day in 2023? You can make it extra special this year by nixing the obvious tie or new grill and going for something a little more meaningful like a photo album filled with all the best moments you’ve shared with Dad. But first, you’ll need mark the special day in your calendar.

When is Father’s Day?

Father’s Day 2023 lands this year on Sunday, June 18, 2023. As you probably already know, the date of Father’s Day changes yearly in accordance with the third Sunday in June. (This might be why we all struggle to remember when it is!)

The History of Father’s Day

Unlike Mother’s Day, which is celebrated on different dates around the world, Father’s Day is a pretty universal celebration. Some countries choose to honor dads on different days, but generally speaking, International Father’s Day is the third Sunday in June.

It got its start in the United States in Washington State. The nation’s first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, according to History.com. It wasn’t until President Woodrow Wilson came to office, however, that the date got special recognition as a national holiday.

Mother’s Day, which began in 1908, was, in fact, the inspiration for Father’s Day. The next year, Sonora Smart Dodds, a Spokane, Washington, woman, one of six children raised by a widower, gathered support for a Father’s Day by talking to churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers and government officials, and it worked. Washington State celebrated the nation’s first statewide Father’s Day on June 19, 1910.

Ways to Celebrate Father’s Day

Have your dad’s gift on lock but can’t figure out how to tell your partner he’s a great pa too? There are lots of meaningful things you can do and they start with asking him what he’d like. On Father’s Day of all days, let the dad in your life guide the schedule. Maybe that means getting someone else to mow the lawn so he can relax a bit or perhaps it involves planning a long overdue family hike or day of fishing. Whatever it is, show him you care by jumping in with both feet on the day of his dreams.

If the man in question is a dad-to-be, well that’s definitely worth celebrating as well. Whether you give him matching Pop and Tot T-shirts or whisk him away on a babymoon, it’s worth remembering this important day even for those whose first day of fatherhood is months away.

And if dad is out of town or absent, there are ways to celebrate Father’s Day as well, like recognizing the men in your life or your child’s life who are great role models and examples of how fathers should be.

However you choose to spend Father’s Day, give a hand for the dads who work so hard to put family first.