Curling Is Cool Day Date in the current year: February 23, 2026

Curling is a team sport played by two teams of four players each. The teams take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also known as rocks, along the ice toward a circular target area called the house, which consists of four concentric circles. The goal is to score points by positioning the stones closer to the button (the center of the house) than the opposing team’s stones.

Each team has eight stones, two per player. After a player throws a stone, two other players, called sweepers, move alongside the stone and sweep the ice in front of it with brooms (brushes) to adjust its trajectory and ensure it follows the intended course. A round, or “end”, is completed when all sixteen stones have been thrown. A game usually consists of ten ends.

The top curling championships are usually played by all-male and all-female teams. However, mixed curling, played by teams consisting of two men and two women, also exists. A variation of curling called doubles is played by two-person teams; its most common format is mixed doubles.

Curling is believed to have originated in Scotland before the 16th century. The earliest evidence of the sport is a curling stone inscribed with the date 1511, which was discovered near Dunblane. A similar sport, called ice stock sport, existed in the Low Countries by the mid-16th century. Two paintings by the Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Winter Landscape with a Bird Trap and The Hunters in the Snow, depict people playing this sport on a frozen river. The earliest recorded use of the term “curling” dates to 1620.

The world’s first curling club was founded in Kilsyth, Scotland, in 1716; it still exists today. The Royal Caledonian Curling Club, founded in Edinburgh in 1838 and granted a royal charter in 1843, developed the first official rules for the sport. Interestingly, World Curling, the international governing body for curling (formerly the World Curling Federation), originated as a committee of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club.

Today, curling is most popular in Canada, where it was introduced by Scottish immigrants. It is also played in the United States, throughout Europe, and in Australia, Brazil, China, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea. The World Curling Championships have been held since 1959. Curling officially became an Olympic sport in 1998, although the curling competition at the 1924 Winter Olympics is retroactively considered a medal event.

Curling Is Cool Day was created to encourage the general public to learn more about this unusual sport and give it a try. You can celebrate by hosting a curling watch party (Curling Is Cool Day coincides with the Olympics every four years, which should make the party even more fun) or trying to play curling if there is a club near you. Many clubs host open demonstrations or sessions for beginners. Don’t forget to spread the word about the holiday on social media with the hashtag #CurlingIsCoolDay!