National Lemonade Day Date in the current year: May 5, 2024

Lemonade is a perfect beverage for a hot summer day. Its principal ingredients are still or carbonated water, lemon juice, and a sweetener such as sugar, syrup and honey, but there are a lot of varieties of lemonade found throughout the world that may contain other ingredients such as additional fruit juices, mint and other herbs, various spices, rose water, and even salt.

Traditionally, children in the United States and Canada would set up lemonade stands in their neighborhoods and sell lemonade to make some cash or raise money for charity during the summer months. But why lemonade? Well, it is inexpensive, easy to make, and almost universally beloved.

Lemonade stands are an iconic part of American culture; they are often viewed as a way for young kids to experience business and learn about the ideas of economic freedom, profit and teamwork. Although lemonade stands are technically illegal in some areas (as of 2019, only 14 U. S. states explicitly allowed to run a lemonade stand without a permit), their legal prosecution is extremely rare.

Lemonade Day was launched in 2007 by Michael and Lisa Holthouse in their hometown of Houston, Texas. When Lisa was a kid, her father helped her set up a lemonade stand so she could raise money to buy a pet turtle she desperately wanted. This cherished childhood memory inspired Lisa and her husband to create a holiday that would give children an opportunity to have their first taste of success.

The Holthouses launched Lemonade Day to honor the long-standing tradition of lemonade stands that allows kids to try their hand at running a small business and gives them the opportunity to take entrepreneurial risks in a safe environment. National Lemonade Day is meant to spark the spirit of entrepreneurship in children across the nation and empower them to set goals, work hard and take responsibility to achieve their dreams.

How can you get involved with National Lemonade Day? Check out the holiday’s official website, lemonadeday.org, and see if your city or town has an official Lemonade Day program that you can join. Licensed Lemonade Day events and activities are held in almost 100 communities across the United States (including Puerto Rico) and Canada.

If there are no National Lemonade Day events near you, there are still ways for you to participate in the celebration! You can support kids in your neighborhood by purchasing lemonade from their stands, help your child, nibling or little cousin set up and run a lemonade stand, make a pitcher of lemonade and offer some to your neighbors, share your experiences of selling lemonade as a kid, donate to or volunteer for a charity that supports kids from disadvantaged families, listen to Beyonce’s “Lemonade” on repeat, and spread the word with the hashtags #NationalLemonadeDay and #LemonadeDay.