What Is Flamingo Friday?

Photo by OndrejProsicky/Shutterstock.com

Think of Friday’s connotations: wrapping up, relaxation, unwinding, and freedom. In some neighborhoods across America, Friday means all of those things, plus flamingos.

Flamingo Friday is a tradition that’s been adopted in pockets throughout the country. Every area seems to have its own interpretation of the day and how it’s celebrated, but the core is consistent - community, with a side of flamingos.

What Is Flamingo Friday?

It means something different depending on where you are, but Flamingo Friday embodies a reoccurring event that brings together a group of people every Friday, or at least most Fridays. It can be a block party held on someone’s driveway, a collection of friends meeting by a body of water, or anything in between. The only prerequisite is, in some capacity, the inclusion of flamingos.

I haven't forgot that someone really likes #FlamingoFriday so here's a set of #birds that most people call #flamingo pic.twitter.com/GZcyukRABg

— JBC (@JBC_Tweeter) January 27, 2023

The most common way to introduce the fabulous fowl to Friday is via plastic lawn flamingos. Typically, the host for the upcoming Flamingo Friday will decorate their yard with a pink flock to notify the neighborhood on where to gather when the week ends.

The rest is self-explanatory. On Friday evening, the community comes together to release from the past week and enjoy themselves. This tradition dates back until at least 2000, which is the earliest I could find record of a coordinated Flamingo Friday, but it’s probable it’s older than just 23 years.

The question of why Fridays is obvious, but why flamingos? First, the alliteration. English speakers love a good alliteration (myself included). Second, plastic lawn flamingos are a staple of American suburban culture. Planting them in your yard to inform the public that yours is the place to be just makes sense given the context. Put those two reasons together, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for Flamingo Friday!

Photo by BarbElkin/Shutterstock.com

I will reiterate, though, that Flamingo Friday doesn’t have to be a suburban-style block party. Flamingo Friday can be anything you want it to be among your group of friends or community. It could be everyone meeting up at the local bowling alley wearing at least one item of flamingo clothing or a weekly trip to the beach with flamingo floaties in tow.

Maybe you don’t live somewhere with a standing Flamingo Friday tradition and creating one yourself isn’t feasible. You can also celebrate by posting photos of the beautiful bird with your online flamingo friends at the end of every week. Flamingo Friday doesn’t have to be a big production, just a weekly reminder to chill out like the fabulous fowl!

However, if you do live somewhere that doesn’t partake in Flamingo Fridays, or doesn’t have a communal feel to it at all, maybe you should take the initiative to inject some flamingo love into your neighborhood. Humans are social creatures, and we thrive through positive, purposeful relationships. Flamingo Fridays, and other similar events that bring people together at a regular time, are a great way to ensure that necessary social outlet and uplift a local community to work together to improve where they live. If you have the opportunity to bring Flamingo Fridays someplace new, consider giving it a try - you never know what fun flamingo friends you might make!