Blackout Wednesday

Blackout Wednesday (also known as Black Wednesday, Drinksgiving, Thanksgiving Eve, Wacky Wednesday, Whiskey Wednesday, Awkward Wednesday, or Big Wednesday) is a pejorative term for the night before the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. It is associated with binge drinking since very few people work on Thanksgiving, and most university students are home to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with their families,[1] which means that high school friends have an opportunity to catch up at the local tavern as they converge on their hometown.[2] The name refers to "blacking out", memory loss due to excessive alcohol intoxication. In suburbs of Chicago particular, Blackout Wednesday is sometimes a more popular partying night than even New Year's Eve or Saint Patrick's Day.[1] In some cities, it is the worst drunk driving night of the year.[3] Police departments increase patrols checking for drunk driving in many jurisdictions including in Indiana[4] and Minnesota.[5] MADD reports that the Thanksgiving holiday produces more people killed in drunk driving crashes than the Christmas holiday.[6]

Thanksgiving Eve
Observed byUnited States of America
2019 date27 November 2019
2020 date25 November 2020

The term has a search history on Google beginning in 2014.[7] The name "Drinksgiving" dates to 2007. The concept itself is believed to have originated decades before the names.[2]

References
  1. Spak, Kara (November 22, 2011). "Biggest night of the year". Sun Times. Archived from the original on December 28, 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  2. How the night before Thanksgiving became the biggest drinking night of the year by Amelia Rayno, from the Star-Tribune of Minneapolis, Minnesota; November 22, 2017
  3. Nelson, Emily (2011-11-22). "Before the Turkey, A Big Night of Drinking". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  4. wthr.com JENNIE RUNEVITCH, Police to increase patrols for "Blackout Wednesday" PUBLISHED: 11/23/2016
  5. Tim Harlow, On 'Blackout Wednesday' law enforcement will be looking for blitzed drivers startribune.com NOVEMBER 22, 2016
  6. MADD MADD’s “Tie One On For Safety” Holiday Campaign Cautions Drivers as More Highway Deaths Caused by Drunk Driving Archived 2016-11-24 at the Wayback Machine 11/13/2012
  7. Blackout Wednesday: Google Trends


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