World Outlander Day Date in the current year: June 1, 2024

The Outlander book series started with an eponymous novel about a 20th-century nurse Claire Randall who found herself in 18th-century Scotland after being transported back in time. Since the release of the first novel in 1991, it has expanded into a media franchise consisting of nine novels (as of 2021), a number of novellas and short stories, a graphic novel, the spin-off Lord John series focusing on a popular recurring character from the main novels, companion books, a musical, and a long-running television series that premiered on Starz in August 2014.

Diana Gabaldon decided to write a historical fiction novel in 1988 while working as a research professor. It was meant to be a writing exercise; she did not intend to show her novel to anyone, let alone publish it. The time travel element and setting on the novel, as well as Claire’s love interest, Scottish Highlander James Fraser, were inspired by the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who, specifically the episode titled “The War Games”.

The first novel in the series, Outlander (published in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand as Cross Stitch), was released in 1991. It was warmly received by both readers and critics, and won the RITA Award, a prestigious award for romance fiction presented by the Romance Writers of America. The second installment in the series, Dragonfly in Amber, was published exactly a year after the first one, on June 1, 1992.

In 2012, Sony Pictures Television bought the rights to Gabaldon’s book series, which consisted of seven books at the time. A year later, the television adaptation of the books was picked up by Starz for a 16-episode season. Irish actress Caitriona Balfe was cast as Claire, and Scottish actor Sam Heughan was cast as Jamie Fraser. The first season of Outlander premiered in August 2014 and received mostly positive reviews (a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes).

As of May 2023, six seasons of Outlander have aired and the seventh season is set to premiere in June 2023. The show was renewed for the eighth and final season. In January 2023, Starz officially confirmed the release of a prequel series about Jamie’s parents titled Outlander: Blood of My Blood.

World Outlander Day commemorates the release of the first novel in the Outlander series that was first published on June 1, 1991. This amazing celebration has been supported by the cast and crew of the television series and, of course, by the woman behind the franchise – Diana Gabaldon herself. The cast and crew have filmed and posted videos where they thank their fans for their dedication and support.

Outlander fans celebrate World Outlander Day in may different ways. They reread books and rewatch their favorite episodes from the show, host Outlander watch parties or Outlander-themed dinner parties, go Scotch whisky tasting, try recipes from Theresa Carle-Sanders’s Outlander Kitchen cookbooks, post fan art and fan fiction inspired by the franchise, cosplay Outlander characters, and share their love for their favorite books and show with the hashtag #WorldOutlanderDay.