When is Talk Like a Pirate Day?
Talk Like a Pirate Day 2027 is on Sunday
Sunday, September 19, 2027
September 19 every year. That's in 349 days.
until Talk Like a Pirate Day begins, in your time zone
Talk Like a Pirate Day is a lighthearted day for greeting people with "Ahoy, matey" and speaking in exaggerated pirate slang. Two friends in Oregon invented it as a joke in 1995, and a Dave Barry column turned it into an international tradition.
About Talk Like a Pirate Day
The day has one rule: talk like a pirate. People sprinkle their speech with words like "arr," "avast," "ahoy" and "me hearties," put on eye patches and tricorn hats, and turn ordinary errands into nautical adventures. Schools, libraries, restaurants and offices pick it up because it costs nothing, needs no planning and works for all ages.
The founders are John Baur and Mark Summers, who go by the pirate names Ol' Chumbucket and Cap'n Slappy. According to their own account, the idea came up during a racquetball game on June 6, 1995, when one of them let out a pirate-style yelp. They passed over June 6 because of its weight as the anniversary of D-Day, and Summers proposed September 19 instead because it was his ex-wife's birthday, a date already fixed in his memory.
For several years the joke stayed mostly between the two friends. In 2002 Baur wrote to the humor columnist Dave Barry, whose Miami Herald column was syndicated across the US, and Barry featured the day in a column that September. The idea spread quickly from there, and the founders built a website, officially calling the day International Talk Like a Pirate Day, with pirate vocabulary lists and tongue-in-cheek advice. The day has no official status anywhere; it lives on because people enjoy it.
Sources: International Talk Like a Pirate Day (founders' site), Canada's History: Talk Like a Pirate Day, Sky HISTORY: Talk Like a Pirate Day. How we check dates.
How to mark Talk Like a Pirate Day
- Greet coworkers, classmates or family with "Ahoy, matey!" and see how long everyone can keep the accent going.
- Read a pirate classic such as Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island aloud with your family.
- Set up a treasure hunt for kids with a hand-drawn map and clues written in pirate slang.
- Learn some real maritime history, such as how sailors navigated before GPS, and share a fact in your best pirate voice.
- Host a pirate-themed dinner and give a small prize to the most convincing talker.
Talk Like a Pirate Day dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Friday, September 19, 2025 |
| 2026 | Saturday, September 19, 2026 |
| 2027 | Sunday, September 19, 2027 |
| 2028 | Tuesday, September 19, 2028 |
| 2029 | Wednesday, September 19, 2029 |
| 2030 | Thursday, September 19, 2030 |
| 2031 | Friday, September 19, 2031 |
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Frequently asked questions
When is Talk Like a Pirate Day 2027?
Talk Like a Pirate Day 2027 is on Sunday, September 19, 2027. It falls on September 19 every year. In 2028, it is on Tuesday, September 19, 2028.
Who started Talk Like a Pirate Day?
John Baur and Mark Summers, two friends from Oregon, came up with it in 1995. It gained a wide following after Dave Barry wrote about it in 2002.
Why is Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19?
Mark Summers picked it because it was his ex-wife's birthday and a date he already remembered. The founders skipped June 6, the day of their racquetball game, because it is the anniversary of D-Day.
Is it called International Talk Like a Pirate Day?
Yes. The founders use International Talk Like a Pirate Day as the full name, and both names refer to the same day.
Is Talk Like a Pirate Day a public holiday?
No. Talk Like a Pirate Day is an observance, not a public holiday, so schools, banks, government offices and most businesses keep their normal hours.