World Naked Gardening Day Date in the current year: May 4, 2024

World Naked Gardening Day was originally conceived by board member of the Naturist Action Committee and editor for Nude & Natural Mark Storey and permatculturalist Jacob Gabriel as a project of Body Freedom Collaborative, a Seattle-based non-profit organization that focuses on promoting the acceptance of non-sexual social nudity in private and public settings.

Although Storey and Gabriel didn’t put much effort or money into promoting Naked Gardening Day (all they did was help create a website, after which they receded into the background and let the idea of introducing people to clothes freedom through gardening spread on its own), the phenomenon quickly spread across the world.

According to its founders, World Naked Gardening Day isn’t owned by anyone, be it an individual or an organization. However, it is endorsed by numerous naturist societies and organizations, including the Naturist Society, the American Association for Nude Recreation, Clothes Free International, etc. They use the event as an opportunity to advocate and defend personal and social nudity, most but not all of which takes place on private property.

The inaugural World Naked Gardening Day was held on September 10, 2005. In 2007, it was decided to move the event date to the first Saturday of May. In most countries, it still takes place on this day, but there is an exception. In 2018, the New Zealand Naturist Federation decided to observe Naked Gardening Day on the last weekend of October, since this date is better suited to the climate of the Southern Hemisphere, where May is the last month of autumn.

Although World Naked Gardening Day is endorsed by numerous naturist organizations, the promotion of the ideas of naturism (such as unashamed acceptance of the human body) isn’t its primary focus. The day is meant to be a non-political, funny and lighthearted celebration for anyone who’s interested in it, but doesn’t necessarily want to become a full-fledged naturist. According to the founders, gardening is the second most popular family-friendly activity people are ready to consider doing nude, the first being swimming.

How does one celebrate World Naked Gardening Day? It is exactly what it says on the tin: all you need to do is get naked and do some gardening, for example, hoe off weeds, plant flowers, trim hedges, rake leaves, etc. You can do it alone or team up with family, friends, or your gardening club; it’s up to you to decide. What really matters is that you tell people about your naked gardening experience to spread the word.

There are two types of people who celebrate World Naked Gardening Day: those who prefer to do it in the privacy of their garden or backyard and those who do it in public parks, engaging in guerrilla gardening and stealth cleanups. Before joining the latter, make sure you’re ready to bear responsibility for breaking laws regarding public nudity, in case there are any in your country.