Bacon Day on Dec. 30 celebrates one of America’s favorite breakfast dishes with a tradition that keeps things playful and easy. Families and friends gather around hot pans, stacking fresh strips beside eggs, toast and whatever else they want on their plates. With so many people building the day around one ingredient, the unofficial holiday has grown into a small but steady year-end event.
Oven-baked bacon. Photo credit: Bagels and Lasagna.
As the morning settles, Bacon Day turns into a lighthearted challenge to see where bacon can go next. Across stovetops and grill lines, the date becomes a cue for cooks to experiment with bacon and keep meals moving.
The story behind Bacon Day
Bacon Day began in 1997 when two college friends, Danya Goodman and Meff Leonard, created a nonreligious celebration that centered on shared food and humor. They took the name from a Homer Simpson line that asks, “Is it Bacon Day?” and placed the holiday just before New Year’s so it wouldn’t compete with major observances.
Over time, fans turned that joke into a fixed date on their calendars. They host bacon brunches with friends and trade small gag gifts, and the photos and recipes they post online help households and restaurants treat it as a year-end tradition they can plan for.
Home kitchens cook for Bacon Day
In home kitchens, Bacon Day gives families and roommates one clear plan: cook bacon and build everything around it. Many start with a heavy skillet, turning out bacon, scrambled eggs and toast or pancakes, then keep extra strips warm so late risers still get a fresh serving.
The holiday also prompts people to bring out recipes they saved throughout the year. Popular menus feature candied bacon baked with brown sugar, jalapeno poppers wrapped in bacon and slow-cooker beans finished with chopped cooked strips. Some households fold bacon into desserts, from maple bacon cupcakes to chocolate-dipped slices, and keep coffee or hot chocolate nearby while the bacon stays within easy reach on the counter.
Bacon Day traditions and gift ideas
Beyond the kitchen, fans build small traditions that keep the holiday fun. Small groups trade playful gifts such as bacon socks, printed kitchen towels or novelty spatulas, then sit down to a shared meal. Online marketplaces offer printable party kits and trivia sheets for National Bacon Day, so hosts can drop a ready-made game into their plan.
Entertainment stays simple. Some groups screen “The Simpsons” episodes that feature Homer and his bacon jokes, while others queue up a Kevin Bacon movie or run game nights built around bacon-themed quizzes.
Social media extends those activities. Feeds fill with photos of home-cooked breakfasts, restaurant plates and snack trays tagged for Bacon Day, and brands use the date to post bacon specials or recipes that fans can save for later.
Bacon on big menus
Big chains keep bacon in steady rotation on everyday menus. At Wendy’s, the Baconator stacks beef, American cheese and Applewood smoked bacon on a soft bun. Seasonal versions like the Pretzel Baconator swap in a pretzel bun but keep the same heavy bacon focus. That makes Wendy’s an easy stop for anyone who wants Bacon Day to feel like a full burger event.
Burger King leans on builds that put bacon front and center. The Bacon King piles thick-cut smoked bacon on two flame-grilled patties with cheese, ketchup and mayonnaise. In 2025, the Steakhouse Bacon Whopper adds crispy onions, A.1. sauce and bacon to a standard Whopper setup. Fans who prefer flame-grilled burgers can order those items for Bacon Day.
Sit-down chains and burger spots round out the options. Denny’s 5 Slams Starting at $5 menu includes bacon-heavy breakfast plates, along with an Everyday Value Slam that pairs pancakes, eggs and bacon on one plate. Five Guys lets guests add bacon to its burgers or blend it into hand-spun shakes, which gives Bacon Day fans one more way to bring bacon into the day.
Plan a Bacon Day outing
Bacon Day works for quick plans and full-day routes. Some people start with breakfast at a neighborhood diner or Denny’s, swing through a drive-thru for a bacon-stacked burger at lunch and end the night with a simple tasting board at home that features a few bacon styles and basic dips. Others pick one spot, such as a favorite brunch place, then bring home packaged bacon or a side order to reheat later.
Hosts who like structure can turn the holiday into a small at-home event. A short guest list, one main bacon dish and a self-serve station with toppings or sauces give people something to do without much prep. Guests can round things out by bringing a bacon snack or dessert, which spreads the work and keeps the table full.
A little planning keeps the day smooth. A single shopping list for bacon, bread, eggs and drinks covers most home menus, and checking restaurant hours and apps ahead of time helps avoid crowds. Leftover strips can move into the next morning’s sandwiches or salads, so nothing goes to waste once the plates are clear.
What Bacon Day leaves behind
For some fans, Bacon Day may spark a deeper interest in cooking that lasts past the last strip on the plate. Trying one new technique or tool each year, such as a cast-iron pan or a new cut from a butcher, can move skills forward without pressure. As recipes build over time and pages fill, the holiday starts to double as a running record of people, not just the dishes they make.
Zuzana Paar is the visionary behind five inspiring websites: Amazing Travel Life, Low Carb No Carb, Best Clean Eating, Tiny Batch Cooking and Sustainable Life Ideas. As a content creator, recipe developer, blogger and photographer, Zuzana shares her diverse skills through breathtaking travel adventures, healthy recipes and eco-friendly living tips. Her work inspires readers to live their best, healthiest and most sustainable lives.
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