National Opposite Day Date in the current year: January 25, 2026

Opposites are things, ideas, or qualities that are completely contrary or sharply contrasted with each other. Examples include yes and no, hot and cold, day and night, black and white, etc. The concept of opposites is crucial for cognitive, linguistic, and critical thinking development because it helps us understand meaning through contrast and comparison. More broadly, opposites structure our understanding of the world, from ethical debates and political ideologies to scientific classifications, by revealing how different forces or perspectives interact and balance one another.

While the concept of opposites may seem natural to adults, children typically need guidance and repeated experiences to fully recognize and understand contrasting things and ideas. Teaching the concept of opposites usually begins by pointing out simple, everyday examples, such as big/small, hot/cold, or fast/slow. However, these examples must be reinforced through various activities that encourage children to identify opposites independently.

Most children learn best through play, and Opposite Day was originally conceived as a fun make-believe game to teach children about opposites. On this holiday, things are said and done in an opposite manner. For example, you say “yes” when you mean “no”, “right” when you mean “left”, and so on. It doesn’t have to last the whole day: Opposite Day begins when someone declares it and ends when that person decides to stop.

Although Opposite Day is not tied to a particular date, many holiday websites list January 25 as National Opposite Day. If you have children, you can use this day as an opportunity to teach them about opposites in a fun way. Even if you don’t have children, you can still celebrate because adults need to have fun sometimes! Just make sure the people around you are in on the joke to avoid any misunderstandings.

If you don’t want to spend the day saying and doing the opposite of what you mean, there are other ways to celebrate. For example, you can watch the 2009 movie Opposite Day or other films that explore the concept of opposites switching places, such as Vice Versa and Freaky Friday. If you’re a fan of romantic comedies, you may enjoy movies build around the “opposites attract” concept, such as People We Meet on Vacation, When Harry Met Sally, Dirty Dancing, Pretty Woman, Beauty and the Beast, Grease, 10 Things I Hate About You, Runaway Bride, and Crazy Rich Asians.

You can also throw an Opposite Day party featuring activities, decorations, and food highlighting contrasts. For example, you can decorate the room with contrasting colors, serve contrasting foods and drinks, such as sweet and sour snacks, and encourage guests to dress as opposites, such as day and night. You can also play party games that feature opposites, such as word-guessing games in which players must guess pairs of opposites.